Thousands Protest in Bahrain after Clashes

Thousands took to the streets in Bahrain on Friday to condemn the arrest of a prominent opposition figure hours after clashes between protesters and police, officials and witnesses said.

Demonstrations had been called to protest the arrest of ex-MP Khalil Marzooq on charges of inciting terrorism. The majority Shiite Gulf island, ruled by a Sunni monarchy, has seen frequent unrest since the government crushed an Arab Spring-inspired uprising in 2011.

Friday's demonstration west of the capital -- in which protesters waved Bahraini flags and chanted "Revolution until victory" and "We will not forget the martyrs" -- was peaceful, but came hours after protesters and police clashed in a nearby village.

"Police were the target of a terrorist act of Molotov cocktails being thrown and partly setting on fire a vehicle of law enforcement officers in Shaharkhan village" west of Manama, the interior ministry said.

Also on Friday, police used tear gas to disperse small groups of protesters who tried to approach Pearl Square, the epicenter of the 2011 protests.

Witnesses said protesters on Thursday night took to the streets of Manama and nearby Shiite villages, chanting slogans demanding the release of political prisoners and the fall of the Sunni monarchy.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who hurled stones and petrol bombs, they said.

Opposition groups suspended their participation in national reconciliation talks aimed at ending Bahrain's political impasse following Marzooq's arrest Tuesday.

Marzooq was deputy speaker in Bahrain's 40-member parliament before 18 MPs from his Al-Wefaq movement walked out in February 2011 in protest at violence against demonstrators.

In March 2011, security forces crushed protests dominated by the country's Shiites demanding democratic reforms.

At least 80 people have been killed since the Bahrain protests erupted, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.