[ARABNEWS] A man accidentally went kaboom!as he tried to plant a bomb targeting police in a village in Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Several coppers have been killed over the past year in a series of attacks in the kingdom.
One officer was killed after a bomb went off near East Eker, south of the capital Manama, in July last year.
"A person killed himself in blast while trying to plant a bomb in East Eker. Bomb was meant to target police. Investigation opened," the ministry wrote on its Twitter feed.
The country, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, says it has made strides in political reform and is increasing monitoring for abuses by security forces.
Bahrain freed prominent dissident Nabeel Rajab on health grounds on Tuesday, more than two months into his six-month jail term for insulting the authorities.
Manama hit back at US expressions of concern over the Gulf Arab kingdom's treatment of opposition figures on Wednesday, saying all its actions followed due legal process.
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the individuals were detained on the basis of criminal acts not political expression. "The government of Bahrain will not tolerate incitement to violence, and it is the government's duty to protect citizens, residents and visitors alike," it said.