Anti-riot police and protesters demanding the release of Bahrain's main Shiite opposition leader clashed today for the fifth day in a row, witnesses said.
Iran, across the Gulf from Washington's ally where the US Fifth Fleet is based, has called for the immediate release of the kingdom's main opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman.
The US has also expressed deep concern about Salman's detention, warning that it could only inflame the persistent violence that has gripped the kingdom since 2011.
The witnesses said today's clashes erupted in central Manama after prayers at the capital's Mumen mosque, whereas previous unrest has centred on Shiite villages in the suburbs.
Police used tear gas against the protesters, and some injuries and arrests were also reported.
Salman, 49, who heads the Al-Wefaq movement, was arrested on Sunday and formally charged the next day with seeking to use force to change the regime.
