Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Chapter IV — Narrative of Events of February and March 2011
and Samaheej. The level of violence recorded in these sectarian clashes
varied depending on the number of individuals involved. In most cases,
injuries such as knife cuts, stabs, and bruises were reported.
494. On a number of occasions during the day, gangs of armed individuals
prevented government and private sector employees from entering their
workplaces. For example, reports indicated that at 08:15 a group of armed
individuals had prevented employees of the Bahrain and Kuwait Bank from
entering the bank. Unidentified persons prevented employees from leaving
the premises of the Ministry of Justice at 11:15.
495. Many commercial establishments were attacked during the day. For
example, starting at 11:40, groups of unidentified individuals harassed shop
owners in the Sheikh Mohamed Road in Manama and compelled them to
close their shops. Similarly, in Al-Riffa, a popular coffee shop was vandalised
and a small fire was lit in a convenience store.
496. During the day, a number of cases of assault against unarmed police
were recorded. Among these was an attack at 10:00 by approximately 10
individuals on a police officer in Motanaby Street in the vicinity of the NSA
headquarters. A similar incident was reported at the same time when
unidentified individuals attacked a police officer on patrol in the Salmaniya
district. The victims of both these attacks were hospitalised. At 16:28, a
police patrol reported being attacked in Sahla by a group of individuals armed
with knives and swords, injuring at least one police officer. Another police
patrol was attacked later that night by individuals manning a checkpoint in
Issa Town. Furthermore, a number of police officers and employees of
security agencies reported that their homes had been the target of attacks and
incidents of vandalism. Examples of these incidents include a report filed by
an NSA employee claiming to have been under siege in his home in Issa
Town, and a claim by a police lieutenant to have been harassed at his
residence in Sanad.
497. As a sign of the further deterioration of security in Bahrain, inmates
in the Hawd Al-Jaf (Dry Dock) Detention Centre began to cause disturbances
and managed to break out of the facility. It is unclear whether confrontations
occurred between the prison security and the inmates. In total, 109 inmates
escaped from the prison. Reports indicated that some of those attempted to
escape by sea, but were later captured by Coast Guard units. Other inmates
attempted to leave the area using a small bus, while some hid in the buildings
of a nearby company. By 17:30, security forces had apprehended most of the
inmates who had escaped.
498. These and similar incidents were reported throughout the day by the
news media and further disseminated by internet social networking sites. This
exacerbated an already heightened sense of insecurity among Bahrainis and
foreign nationals. Developments of the previous days, particularly the
crippling of traffic in Manama due to the blocking of the King Faisal
Highway, the presence of gangs of armed vandals throughout Bahrain, the
inability and, according to some claims, the unwillingness of the police to
impose order and confront these armed groups, and the targeting of expatriate
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