“Whoever took the decision to attack the protest was aiming to kill,” said Abdul Jalil Khalil, a parliamentarian with the Wefaq bloc.
“This is real terrorism,” Reuters quoted him as saying on Thursday.
Thousands pro-democracy protesters have been occupying the Pearl Square in central Manama since Wednesday, after days of clashes that resulted in two deaths and an apology from Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
On Thursday, the Bahraini riot police tried to disperse the crowd by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the people.
More than 20 people were killed and over 300 were injured in the incident.
Witnesses say the nearby roads have almost been cleared of civilian traffic.
The demonstrators, mostly Shia, are demanding a new constitution that would move the country toward democracy and limit the king's powers.
Bahrain is ruled by a royal family from the country's Sunni minority, who are blamed for discrimination against the country's Shia population -- comprising 70 percent of the population.
Protesters have called on the Bahraini to fire his uncle, Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has been the country's prime minister since 1971.
The US Navy's Fifth Fleet is based in the kingdom of Bahrain.
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