Blast in bus parked near UK embassy in Bahrain

MANAMA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A blast hit a bus Sunday near the British embassy in the Bahraini capital of Manama, the interior ministry said.
The blast happened early in the morning in a minibus parked near the embassy, with no casualty reported.

Hundreds of Shi'ites were taking part in a religious procession in the area when the blast occurred, sources told Xinhua.

The security authorities have cordoned off the area and are investigating the incident, the ministry said.
The blast came one day after reports by the British media that former Assistant Commissioner at London's Metropolitan Police John Yates was appointed by Bahrain to help its interior ministry's security forces.


"The explosion was because of an unknown type of explosive device which was placed under the front left wheel of a minibus that was parked approximately 50 meters away from the British embassy in Manama," the interior ministry spokesman Lieutenant Salah Saif said at a press conference.
He added that the material used in the blast was "highly explosive" because its remains were found approximately 32 meters away from the site and created a hole with a diameter of around 30 cm underneath the driver's side of the vehicle.

The British embassy in Bahrain said it beefed up its security following the explosion.   

from XINHUA News

Posted in: IED