Families mourn dead demonstrators in Bahrain

Manama: The Bahrain opposition on Friday decided to postpone an anti-government demonstration until Tuesday as families mourn four demonstrators killed in a police raid.

"The demonstration of the opposition, planned for Saturday, has been postponed until Tuesday due to mourning the martyrs," Sheikh Ali Salman, the head of the Islamic National Accord Association, told AFP following the funeral of the four demonstrators.

Meanwhile, Bahraini defence forces opened fire on more than 2,000 demonstrators near Pearl Roundabout. At least two people, possibly four, were shot dead with scores of others wounded in the attack that took place about 5.45pm. Mohammad Ebrahim, 30, was shot in the right femur. Gulf News spoke to him as he was being treated at Sulmaniya hospital. "I was praying, I was in the front line, the army gave no warning and they opened fire," he said.

Several thousand angry Bahrainis gathered at the complex as overwhelmed medical staff tried to treat the injured. One doctor told Gulf News several of the injured had serious head injuries and one protester was shot just above the heart. The car park of the hospital has been turned into an emergency triage centre as medical staff tried to cope with this deadly turn in the protests.

The medics were "stunned" at the number of injuries. Eyewitnesses said police used tear gas to disperse the crowds — at least four of the injured suffering convulsions as a result.

Around 2,000 protesters remained in the car park chanting anti-government slogans and vowing revenge for the latest outburst. An ambulance medic said protesters had opened their shirts taunting police to shoot them.

Jalal Firooz, of the Wefaq bloc that resigned from parliament on Thursday, said demonstrators, marking the death of a protester killed earlier this week, had made for Pearl Square, where army troops opened fire. "There are many casualties, some are critical," he said. Police had no immediate comment.

Earlier in the day thousands of mourners gathered to bury three of those killed after clashes with security forces. Four protesters were killed on Thursday when riot police drove activists from a makeshift camp in Pearl Square in Manama. More than 230 were wounded and dozens were detained.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Bahrain on Thursday to use restraint and to keep its promise "to hold accountable those who have used excessive force". Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said the police action was necessary because his country had been on the "brink of a sectarian abyss".

Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-government supporters, waving flags and pictures of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, streamed through the streets of Bahrain's capital on Friday, footage from local TV showed.