Sitra Bomb Blast: Explosion Near Bahrain’s Capital Kills 2 Police Officers, Interior Ministry Says

A bomb blast in Bahrain left two on-duty police officers dead and injured five others, the interior ministry said Tuesday. The attack occurred in Sitra, an island located about 6 miles from Bahrain’s capital Manama.

The wounded officers were rushed to a hospital and treated for minor to moderate injuries, the ministry announced on Twitter. The explosion prompted police to block routes leading into the island, Agence France-Presse reported, citing witnesses. The ministry described the blast as a terror attack, however, no group has claimed responsibility.

The incident follows the Bahrain government's announcement Saturday that it foiled an arms and explosives smuggling conspiracy by two Bahrainis linked to Iran and recalled its envoy from Tehran.

Sitra is the center of clashes between police forces and Shiite protesters in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. Shiite protesters in the country have been demanding political and economic reforms after a 2011 uprising, which was subsequently quelled.

In the past two years, Bahrain has reported an increasing number of attacks using homemade explosives and the country has accused a banned Shia opposition group called Saraya al-Ashtar, which has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.

Iran, a Shia majority country, maintains that it does not interfere in Bahrain’s internal matters, though it has admitted to supporting the al-Ashtar group.