Bahraini authorities detained 12 people on sabotage and arson charges, a security official was quoted on Saturday as saying, after crowds burnt tires and hurled petrol bombs to protest the arrest of Shiite activists.
The protests, which took place on Friday, were triggered by the arrest of a total of eight innocent Shiite activists and clerics during the week ahead of parliamentary elections in the Persian Gulf kingdom, Reuters reported.
"They set tires, garbage skips, empty water tanks and private property on fire, in addition to hurling firebombs on roads," Bahrain's Gulf Daily News quoted an unnamed security official as saying.
Bahrain is governed by a Sunni ruling family but has a majority Shiite population that complains of discrimination in jobs and services. The government denies the accusation.
The sectarian balance of Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, also concerns top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has a Shiite minority population in its Eastern Province adjacent to Bahrain.
Diplomats say the arrests appeared to be an effort to push the Shiite opposition to temper protests ahead of parliamentary elections due on Oct. 23.
Bahrain has the only elected parliament in the Persian Gulf Arab region besides Kuwait, even though its powers are limited as bills need to be approved by an upper house whose members are appointed by the king.
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