Bahrain jails 5 for life over bombing

Dubai, Dec 21: A Bahraini court jailed five people for life today after convicting them of manufacturing and using explosives in the Gulf state which has been rocked by intermittent violence since 2011.

The official BNA news agency said the five were guilty of causing an explosion on June 4 last year in the Budaya area west of the capital Manama.

The attack was carried out using a home-made bomb which they made "to commit terrorist acts and kill police officers", the agency said.

It said the blast damaged homes but caused no injuries. Sunni-ruled Bahrain, a Western ally and home to the US Fifth Fleet, has a majority Shiite population, and lies across the Gulf from Iran.

It has been rocked by a Shiite-led uprising since February 2011, with demands ranging from a constitutional monarchy to overthrowing the Al-Khalifa dynasty altogether.

Scores of opponents have been detained, with many facing trial, while others convicted of involvement in violence have been handed heavy sentences, including loss of citizenship and life in prison.

PTI