Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued on Sunday a Royal Decree establishing a committee to combat extremism, terrorism and its financing and money laundering.
The committee will be formed of the Interior Minister as Chairman, and include the ministers of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Foreign Affairs, Finance and National Economy, Information Affairs and Defense Affairs as members. In addition, it will have governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), chief of National Intelligence Agency, head of the Public Security and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council.
The Joint Counter-terrorism Center at the Interior Ministry is tasked with undertaking the duties of the secretariat-general of the committee and all its administrative work.
The panel’s jurisdictions include studying all issues related to combating extremism, fighting terrorism and its funding, as well as countering money laundering.
The committee will also suggest policies and coordinate the general national efforts related to countering extremism, fighting terrorism and combating money laundering, as well as revise them and update them periodically.
It shall also propose the designation of individuals and entities on the national terror list, assess the dangers of extremist ideology, terrorism and money laundering and propose the necessary legislation and systems to combat them.
The counter-terrorism committee will also submit periodic reports to the cabinet, including the results of its work, as well as its recommendations on the appropriate measures to be taken regarding them.
In order to perform its duties, the committee may seek the assistance of whom it deems appropriate from those with expertise and competence. It can also invite them to attend its meetings to discuss and provide it with the information it deems necessary to carry out its terms of reference.
