US embassy cable - 04MANAMA389

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000389 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DS/IP/NEA AND DS/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2014 
TAGS: ASEC, BA 
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC YOUTHS CONDUCT FIERY RAMPAGE AT A MANAMA 
RESTAURANT 
 
Classified By: CHARGE ROBERT FORD FOR REASONS 1.4 (c) 
 
1.  (C)  Bahrain Police sources advised RSO that an enraged 
crowd of 50 or more Islamist teenagers ransacked La Terrasse 
restaurant for serving alcohol and burned the cars of seven 
customers in Manama on Wednesday March 17. Conservative 
Muslim youths assembled from five villages (Adari, Jid Hafs, 
Sanabis, Chamis and Tashan) in the surrounding area once the 
mayhem began, swelling their number beyond 200. 
 
2. (C) The juvenile offenders came prepared with knives, 
rocks and molotov cocktails. The largest vehicle damaged, a 
Cadillac SUV with Saudi plates, was rolled on its side and 
torched. RSO observed five vehicles burned and two damaged in 
the restaurant parking lot on Thursday morning. Most of the 
vehicles had Saudi license plates. The La Terrasse is a nice 
restaurant surrounded by predominantly Shia neighborhoods. It 
is common knowledge that alcohol is served at this expensive 
eatery, but it does not have the unsavory reputation of the 
establishments attacked last week. 
 
3. (C) The police arrested 12 of the teenagers Wednesday 
evening and detained 4 more for questioning on March 19 
according to the Officer in Charge of the Sanabis Police 
Station. The officer further commented that the 
Undersecretary, Ministry of Interior, Shaikh Daij ordered 
police to identify the principals and make arrests. The 
police responded to the restaurant in adequate numbers but 
did not disperse the crowd quickly. 
 
4. (C) COMMENT: This is the second violent anti-alcohol and 
prostitution confrontation with businessmen in as many weeks. 
Manama has been calm since the March 17 incident. The GOB has 
put on a heavy media campaign to denounce this kind of street 
action against perceived dens of inequity. 
 
FORD