Bahrain deports US teacher over Hezbollah links

Bahrain deported a US teacher for publishing articles in media outlets with Hezbollah links and encouraging divisions in Bahraini society, an official statement said Saturday.

The ministry of state for communications Saturday claimed it received a complaint against an American woman, hired as an early childhood teacher, that she published online articles that were "deemed to incite hatred against the government and members of the Royal family", Xinhua reported.

"She has published a number of articles for online media, including Lebanon's Hezbollah-linked As-Safir newspaper and the illegal Bahrain Centre for Human Rights Newsletter, among others," the statement said.

Initial probe found a Hezbollah flag along with other insignia of the Lebanese terrorist organisation in the woman's residence.

"The American woman, who writes under a pen name, violated the labour laws of Bahrain by working illegally as an unlicensed journalist while being employed as a teacher," the statement added.

Earlier this month, the Bahraini authorities banned websites with links to al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other groups affiliated with terrorists as part of a tougher anti-terror measure.