Uncovering links with illicit weapon supplies in the Gulf

This report examines common features of seizures of conventional weapons and ammunition carried out in Bahrain between 2013 and 2018 — a time of heightened tensions in the country, and in the wider region. It identifies three main commonalities: links with items recovered in maritime seizures in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden; the co-location of weapons with components and chemical precursors used to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and a pattern of obliterations of unique identifying markings.

This report draws on CAR’s wider investigations in the region to assess linkages between the weapons seized in Bahrain at this time, and illicit supplies across the Gulf, which have continued into 2024.