Bahrain is hunting four suspects wanted for their alleged involvement in a deadly attack on the central prison and a jailbreak earlier this month, the interior minister said today.
On January 1, gunmen attacked Jaw prison south of the capital Manama, killing a policeman and allowing 10 inmates to escape.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid al-Khalifa told parliament that investigators had identified four key suspects involved in the prison attack and jailbreak.
A number of suspects who helped them had been arrested, including the owner of the car used in the operation, he added, in remarks carried by the official BNA news agency.
"Negligence and complicity were the key reasons behind the jailbreak," the minister said, recalling that authorities had referred to the prosecutor three officials as part of the probe into the operation.
The interior minister also urged lawmakers to adopt legislation "that would help security forces fight against terrorism" and to "toughen sanctions" against those who attack security forces.
Shiites convicted over anti-government protests in Sunni-ruled Bahrain were held at Jaw.
Seven of the escapees had been serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy jail terms for "terrorist acts", the interior ministry said last week.
Tiny but strategic Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, has been rocked by unrest since the authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.
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