Several inmates escape in attack on Bahrain prison

Police in Bahrain said an attack on a notorious prison in the island country killed one police officer and freed several prisoners, the country's Interior Ministry said.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said on Twitter that the attack Sunday on Jaw Prison had sparked a security lockdown in the area, Wral reported.

"An armed attack on the Jaw Reform and Rehabilitation Center resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates…," the ministry said in a statement.

Bahrain, a small island in Persian Gulf, hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet and an under-construction British naval base.

The kingdom launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent in 2011.

Thousands of Bahraini people are in jail on charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces in the kingdom. The regime has exercised heavy crackdown on peaceful protestors who sought democracy and justice.

EA