Bahrain detains Shia leader

Bahrain’s Shia political party, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, has accused Bahraini authorities of detaining its leader Ali Salman after he was interrogated by the interior ministry, Gulf mass media reported on Sunday.

In a statement, Al-Wefaq announced that 49-year-old Salman was detained following ten hours of questioning by Bahrain’s criminal police.

The statement described this measure as “serious and uncalculated,” and added that it would complicate the political and security landscape in Bahrain. Al-Wefaq called for Salman’s immediate release.

Salman was re-elected on Friday as leader of the opposition group. Bahrain’s interior ministry said that he was summoned for questioning over “violating certain aspects of the law”. His lawyer Abdullah Al-Shamlan tweeted that Salman had been accused of “inciting hatred against the government and calling for its overthrow by force”.

Shamlan added that he had not been permitted to attend his client’s questioning by the police’s criminal investigation department.