DUBAI: Bahrain is alleging a 14-member group backed by Iran planned assassinations in the island kingdom.

The Interior Ministry issued a statement early Monday that said 11 members of the group "are suspected of receiving overseas military training under the supervision of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah in Iraq."

It said police had arrested 14 suspects in raids that saw officers seize weapons and explosives. It said the group's two leaders were abroad in Iran.

Iran's government had no immediate comment. Sunni-ruled Bahrain, like other Gulf Arab nations, remains suspicious of Shiite power Iran and periodically announces similar arrests.

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has seen the low-scale unrest present since its 2011 Arab Spring protests escalate recently amid a government crackdown on dissent.