Police investigators collect evidence at the site of a bombing where an immigrant Asian worker was killed in Gudaibiya a suburb of the Bahraini capital Manama, yesterday.
DUBAI: Five bombs exploded in the heart of the Bahraini capital Manama yesterday, killing two Asian street cleaners, officials said, prompting mutual accusations from activists and a government trying to put down a mostly Shia pro-democracy uprising.
The Interior Ministry said the bombs were home-made and described the blasts as “terrorist acts” — its term for violence by opposition activists.
But an opposition politician and a rights activist said the attacks, which came days after the government said it had banned all rallies and opposition gatherings to ensure public safety, could have been the work of government forces trying to justify the ban or a further crackdown.
Injuries to protesters or police are relatively common in the 21-month-old uprising, but attacks on the public have been rare on the island, where the Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa dynasty rules over a majority Shia population.
The explosions took place between 4.30am and 9.30am (0130 and 0630 GMT) in the Qudaibiya and Adliya districts of Manama, the BNA agency said, citing a police official. It described the explosives as “locally made bombs” and said a third Asian worker had been wounded.
One of the attacks took place outside a cinema, where one of the street cleaners died after kicking a package that then blew up. A witness said there was little material damage at that scene, suggesting the blast had not
been large.
Police say they have been the target of numerous attacks with home-made bombs since April, including one that killed a policeman last month, as the government has stepped up efforts to quell an uprising that has crippled the economy.
Opposition politician Matar Matar of the Shia party Wefaq said he doubted that opposition activists were behind yesterday’s attacks, noting that leading Shia clerics had called on followers to avoid escalating the conflict with the government.
He suggested the police or military might have been responsible, or a rogue unit.
“This incident is strange — why would anyone target workers?” he said. “I’m worried that police and military are losing control of their units or it is (preparation) before declaring martial law.”
US has urged Bahrain to begin dialogue on democratic reforms with the opposition. REUTERS
