Cop killed, inmates freed in attack on Bahrain jail

MUSCAT — A policeman was killed on Sunday when armed men attacked a prison in Bahrain, freeing several convicted inmates, the Interior Ministry said, in what it described as a terrorist act. It did not provide an exact number for those who had escaped or identify them but said authorities were searching for them. “An armed attack on the Jau reform and rehabilitation center resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes,” the ministry said in a statement posted on its Twitter account. An investigation has been launched to arrest those involved in the escape, with legal proceedings set to begin, according to tweets from Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior. Policeman Saif was killed as he attempted to stop the escapees. Authorities confirmed to Al Arabiya›s correspondent in Manama that the attack took place in the early hours of Sunday. Sources also said that up to 10 convicts were able to escape from the prison. A Bahraini court in January last year sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for taking part in a 2015 riot inside Jau prison, which is located outside the capital Manama. Bahraini security forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at the prison while trying to quell clashes that erupted during family visits, local human rights group Bahrain Youth Society for Human rights said at the time. — Agencies