Bahrain to set up committee to counter money laundering and terrorism

Bahrain will form a committee to counter extremism, money laundering and terrorism, under a royal decree announced on Sunday.

Official media said the interior minister, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, will head the committee, which will propose to the government individuals and entities to be blacklisted.

The degree said the committee will be also tasked with “studying all issues related to extremism and counter-terrorism, funding of terrorism and money laundering”.

The committee will report to the council of ministers. Among its members will be the religions affairs minister, governor of the central bank, and heads of intelligence and police.

Bahrain, which has a population of 1.6 million is a Middle East banking centre. The island’s economy is closely linked with Saudi Arabia.

The decree said the committee will specialise in streamlining the government’s anti-terrorism efforts and “assessing the dangers of extremist thought.”

The committee will work on “proposing laws and special regulations to counter extremism and terrorism and its funding, and combat money laundering,” the decree said.