Arsonists set fire to a technical service centre in the Northern Municipality of Bahrain over the weekend, gutting two whole floors of the building, a report said.

The attack, at 10.30pm on Thursday, has left municipality officials with no other choice but to relocate to the other service centres in Budaiya and Hamad Town, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

At a meeting held yesterday to discuss the attack, Northern Municipality director-general Yusuf Al Ghatam said the issuance of building licences, commercial registrations and land purchases could be disrupted.

'Many procedures were carried out in the destroyed property,' he said.

'I cannot determine the losses but I can say that the damage is huge as the ground floor and the first floor were completely destroyed.

'Prosecutors launched an investigation right after the fire took place and hopefully the property will be renovated by the insurance company as soon as possible.'

A CCTV video circulating online showed two masked men breaking into the building and dousing the offices in petrol before setting it on fire.

The municipality yesterday condemned the attack on its Instagram account and urged the police to launch a 'professional investigation' that would uncover the arsonists.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that the fire had happened but gave no further details.- TradeArabia News Service