Two Bahraini policemen killed in bombing

A bomb attack killed two Bahraini policemen on duty in the mainly Shia village of Sitra, south of the capital Manama, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, days after the government said it had disrupted an arms smuggling plot linked to Iran.

"A terrorist bombing targeted policemen on duty in the Sitra area, resulting in the deaths of two of them and seriously wounding a third," the Interior Ministry said on its Twitter account. 

It added that five more policemen had received light to moderate injuries and were being treated in hospital.

On Saturday, the government said it had foiled an arms and explosives smuggling plot by two Bahrainis with ties to Iran, and recalled its ambassador to Tehran.

The Sunni-ruled kingdom often accuses Iran of stirring up unrest among the island kingdom's Shia majority. Iran denies interfering in Bahrain, but it openly supports opposition groups seeking greater rights for Bahrain's Shia community. 

Bahrain was hit in 2011 by demonstrations demanding greater democracy and more rights for Shia, many of whom say they are subject to political and economic discrimination.

Human rights concerns

Several of Bahrain's allies, including the US,  and rights groups have expressed concern at the state of human rights in the kingdom.

Washington said it was worried over the treatment of opposition figures in Bahrain, following the arrest of a prominent Sunni Muslim leader for "plotting to overthrow the monarchy" three weeks after he was freed from jail. 

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said earlier this month that Ibrahim Sharif, former head of the secular National Democratic Action Society, or Waad, was detained for incitement to overthrow the government and publicizing "hatred of the regime" in a speech on July 10. 

Sharif had been freed by royal pardon on June 19 after serving more than four years in prison for his role in an uprising demanding political reforms in the Gulf Arab island monarchy. 

The US State Department said the arrest of Sharif, the detention and prosecution of opposition figure Majeed Milad, and reports about the re-opening of a case against Ali Salman, secretary general of Al Wefaq Political Society, "raise serious concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression in Bahrain."  

In the statement, spokesman John Kirby said the United States welcomed initial reports that rights activist Nabeel Rajab had been released from jail, but continued to encourage the government to respect freedom of expression.