Police clash with protesters in Bahrain

More than a dozen people were wounded, according to reports, after police used batons and tear gas to disperse two hundred demonstrators in a city shopping centre tonight.

The demonstration was organised by the Bahrain Freedom Movement, a Shiite opposition group calling for the release of 20 detained activists since last December.

The detainees were taken by police three months ago during a riot at the airport, following the arrest of cleric Khalid Hamed Mansour Sanad upon his return from Iran. The cleric was subsequently released but his rioting supporters are still under police custody.

The Bahrain Freedom Movement said in a statement tonight's protest was timed to draw the attention of the international media and visitors who are now in Bahrain for the first Grand Prix of the 2006 Formula One World Championship.

A spokesman for the Bahrain's Interior Ministry was quoted as saying the police had to intervene in today's protest after the demonstrators committed "acts of sabotage" that included setting fire to large F1 banners in the area.