Gunmen stormed one of Bahrain’s main prisons on Sunday, killing a police officer and setting free ten men imprisoned on terror charges.
Jau prison, one of Bahrain’s three biggest correctional facilities for men, is known to house Shiite Muslims convicted of anti-government protests in the Sunni-ruled country.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior described the events as a “jail break attempt” whilst confirming the death of a police officer and the escape of “several convicted terrorists” after a group of five men armed with automatic weapons attacks shortly after 5.30 am local time.
Authorities did not confirm identity of the escapees, but said seven had been serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy jail terms for “terrorist acts”.
No group or individual has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the aftermath of the incident, the prison, just south of the Bahraini capital Manama, was placed on security lockdown. Witnesses described an increased police presence at roadblocks were thrown up near Shiite villages outside the capital.
The apparent sectarian nature of the incident and the authorities’ response underscores ongoing instability in this the Gulf country of just 1.4m people.
Over the past five years, Bahrain has been unsettled by friction between its Sunni authorities and an increasingly restive Shiite population calling for greater rights and political reforms.
As Egypt, Syria and Libya convulsed in the Arab Spring, uprisings in Bahrain were met with an iron fist. In 2011, authorities crushed Shiite protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Despite this, low-level protests have festered. Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.
Human rights watchdogs have accused authorities of using excessive force on prisoners, including at Jau prison.
After violent unrest at Jau in March 2015, Human Rights Watch encouraged Bahraini authorities to order an investigation into overcrowding at the prison and the circumstances of the violence.
A month later, authorities launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent.
In spite of pressure from international rights groups, Bahraini authorities continue to conduct what Amnesty in October called an “assault on freedom of expression”.
Ongoing unrest has destabilised Bahrain’s security. In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama. Authorities recaptured 11 escapees the next day.
Bahrain, whose name means “two seas”, is an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It is connected to the Sunni powerhouse by a causeway, and it lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran.
Bahrain’s location belies its strategic import. It hosts both the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.