Manama: Three policemen were killed on Monday afternoon in a ‘terrorist’ explosion, the interior ministry said.
The blast occurred in the village of Daih, in the suburbs of the capital Manama.
The ministry said on its Twitter account that the policemen were killed as the police were dispersing rioters.
“The police were chasing a breakaway group of thugs who diverted from a funeral route in Daih to riot,” the ministry said in a tweet.
There was no immediate word on what had caused the blast. The explosion occurred as hundreds of Bahrainis marched in a procession to mark the final day of mourning for a 23-year-old Shiite who died in custody last week. The Interior Ministry had said the man, who was detained in December and had been accused of smuggling weapons, had died of an illness.
Earlier the ministry had said one officer and two policemen were “seriously” wounded in the village of Daih, on the outskirts of the capital Manama.
It said the security forces had dispersed a “breakaway group of thugs who diverted from a funeral route in Daih to riot”. Witnesses reported hearing a blast in Daih during a confrontation between protesters and police who fired tear gas and buckshot to disperse demonstrators.
On Sunday, a policeman was wounded in a blast in the Shiite village of Akr Al Sharqi, said the interior ministry. A policeman died of wounds sustained in a bomb blast in the village of Dair during the commemoration of third anniversary of protests on February 14, the interior ministry said at the time.
Six-opposition groups, led by Al Wefaq main Shiite formation, said they “regretted having casualties regardless of which side they belonged to, including security forces”.
“The sanctity of the blood applies to every human being,” said an opposition statement.
It called on supporters to “adhere to peaceful means and condemn and disclaim criminal acts claimed by the so-called Al Ashtar Brigades or Resistance [brigades] or any other party that claims responsibility for bomb attacks and violence.”
Al Ashtar Brigades has reportedly claimed responsibility for bomb attacks in the kingdom, including a July bombing outside a mosque. Last year the authorities increased the penalties for those convicted of violence, introducing the death penalty or life sentences in cases which resulted in deaths or injuries.
With additional inputs from agencies
