(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Detained Bahraini Shia opposition chief Sheikh Ali Salman is suspected of inciting hatred and violence, a minister said, warning against any escalation in protests that saw supporters clashing with police yesterday.
News of the Al Wefaq leader's arrest on Sunday prompted hundreds of his supporters onto the streets of Shiite villages outside the capital of the Sunni-ruled kingdom, leading to clashes with security forces.
Police have fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse them, many of whom had gathered in Salman's home village of Bilad Al Qadeem, witnesses said.
Salman has been mainly "subjected to questioning for breaches of the law, including inciting hatred and violence," Information Minister Isa Abdulrahman Al Hammadi said.
He is also being questioned about "promoting political change using illegal and forceful means and for explicitly inciting hatred against specific segments of the society."
Authorities had been tight-lipped about Salman's whereabouts since summoning over "violating certain aspects of the law."
Salman's lawyer, Abdullah Al Shamlan, tweeted on Sunday that his client had been arrested and accused of inciting hatred against the regime and calling for its overthrow by force.
Shamlan said he was also accused of insulting the judiciary and the executive branch, sectarian incitement, spreading false news likely to cause panic and undermine security and participating in events detrimental to the economy.
He said he had not been allowed to attend Salman's questioning.
Hammadi said "the government of Bahrain supports the right to free speech, which is protected by the constitution, but no country and no government can allow hate speech to go by unchecked."
He warned that any escalation in violence will be dealt with "in accordance with the law in Bahrain" where authorities clamp down on unauthorised protests.
A statement of opposition groups led by Al Wefaq said Salman's detention is "an escalating step that targets social stability and civil peace in Bahrain."
Authorities are "moving backward to a police state instead of taking steps towards a political solution and an end to the serious human rights violations against citizens."
Yesterday, clerics gathered in Imam Al Sadeq mosque in Al Guful village, brandishing photographs of Salman, pictures posted on Al Wefaq's Twitter account showed.
The party has demanded Salman's immediate release.
Several rights groups have also condemned Salman's arrest.
Top Shia clerics issued a statement late on Sunday criticising the questioning of Salman as a "huge insult to the whole people."
Four leading clerics, including Isa Al Qassem, considered the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq, said summoning Salman does not demonstrate "wise political reasoning," warning that harming Salman "amounts to harming the whole population."
Meanwhile, as court in Bahrain sentenced two Shia men to death and handed a third a life sentence yesterday after they were convicted of killing a policeman.
The ruling could further destabilise the Western-allied kingdom, where sporadic protests have erupted and occasional bomb attacks have taken place since the government quelled mass protests in 2011 led by Shias demanding reforms.
The verdict was announced by the chief prosecutor of terrorist crimes who said that the three were among 12 people charged with a bomb attack in February that killed the policeman Abdel Wahed Sayed Mohammed Faqeer in the village of Al Dair, north of the capital Manama.
The court sentenced the remaining nine suspects to six years in jail and fined them 1,000 Bahraini Dinars ($2,652) each, according the official Twitter account of Bahrain's Public Prosecution.
The court ruling, which is subject to appeal, is only the fourth time in over 34 years that death sentences have been passed on Bahraini citizens.
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