Bahrain's main opposition movement Al-Wefaq said its leader Sheikh Ali Salman was arrested today following a lengthy interrogation at the interior ministry.
Salman, re-elected on Friday as leader of the Shiite opposition group in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom, had been summoned for questioning about "violating certain aspects of the law", the ministry said earlier without providing further details.
His lawyer, Abdullah al-Shamlan, tweeted that Salman had been accused of "inciting hatred against the regime and calling for its overthrow by force".
He said he had not been allowed to attend his client's questioning by the police criminal investigation department.
Al-Wefaq's statement demanded the immediate release of its leader, calling his detention "a dangerous adventure that will complicate the political situation in Bahrain".
