Bahrain sentences four to death for killing police

DUBAI, Nov 12 (AFP): Bahrain's top criminal court on Monday sentenced four Shiite Muslims to death for a 2017 bombing that killed a policeman, a judicial official and the public prosecutor said.

A statement by the prosecutor's office said the four were found guilty on charges of premeditated murder and possession of unlicensed arms "with terrorist aims" over a June 18, 2017 bombing.

A police officer was killed in the blast in Diraz, a flashpoint village outside the capital Manama.

Bahrain, a tiny Sunni-ruled kingdom located between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed protests led by majority Shiites demanding an elected prime minister.

Authorities have since jailed hundreds of dissidents and stripped many of citizenship, banning all opposition groups under court orders.