One killed as Bahraini police fire at protesters

Bahraini police yesterday opened fire on a group of protesters supporting a top Shiite cleric, killing one person.

Demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at security forces during the unrest.

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy announced the death in Diraz, the scene of a long-running sit-in outside the home of cleric Isa Qassim.

Police arrested 50 people, including prison escapees “convicted over terrorism” charges, the interior ministry said. It said some of those held had taken refuge in Qassim’s house and other homes in the area.

Several members of the security forces were also injured, it said. Qassim is considered the spiritual leader of Bahrain’s majority Shiite community. He was sentenced on Sunday to a suspended one- year jail term for illegal fundraising and money laundering. Authorities have accused him of serving foreign interests and promoting sectarianism and violence.

A court last year stripped Qassim of his citizenship.

The interior ministry said yesterday it had “launched a security operation in the village of Diraz to preserve security and civil order”.

Bahrain has accused Iran of fomenting unrest in the kingdom. Tehran has consistently denied involvement.