“Roving gangs of masked rioters showered populated areas with petrol bombs and metal rods used as improvised weapons that resulted in considerable property damage and terrorized residents and citizens. A number of policemen were injured in the assaults; a police patrol jeep was gutted by fire, as well as several private cars damaged,” according to a statement issued by the Information Affairs Authority (IAA).
Around 11:20 PM that same night an attack was mounted on security forces in Sadad. In the area around Zaid bin Omairah Street approximately 50 individuals, heavily armed with petrol bombs, advanced on a police patrol from a narrow alleyway.
The police gave a verbal warning, followed by the use of teargas, and began to retreat from the area. Police then fired a warning shot in the air to disperse the crowd. The group hurled Molotov cocktails and continued to advance, at which point the police responded with proportionate and necessary force to defend themselves from the attack.
Once the crowd had dispersed, police discovered one of the participants in the attack lying on the ground. An ambulance was called, arriving on the scene by 11:40 to treat 17 year-old Ali Hussein Neama. Medics tried to resuscitate him but were unable to and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Earlier reports that he had been taken to a home for treatment are inaccurate.
A spokesman for the IAA reiterated that peaceful political expression is welcomed in Bahrain, but we continue to face problems with some seeking to promote criminal behavior as legitimate political expression.