Two policemen have been injured by a homemade bomb that exploded in a petrol station restroom in Bahrain.

The incident happened at Jawad Services Station, in Meqsha, at around 10.40pm on Saturday (February 1) and was described as a 'terrorist bombing' by the Interior Ministry, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

A car maintenance centre and a 24-hour supermarket are also located at the petrol station and only the supermarket remained open as normal yesterday morning.

The rest of the facility was cordoned off by police as forensic teams scoured the area for evidence, but a spokesman said everything reopened by 1.30pm.

A device was detonated when the two officers entered the restroom and a supermarket employee on duty at the time said he was just a few metres away when he heard the blast and saw smoke.

“We regularly see police patrol jeeps stop by at the station because they want to use the toilet,” he told the GDN.

“Two policemen entered the toilet and moments later I saw one of them rushing out of the door, while the other policeman was covered in blood.”

He said the officer covered in blood was in a 'bad shape'.

“I did not know what happened until I saw the two injured policemen,” he said.

“One of them was in bad shape with serious injuries to his upper body and legs.

“He was covered in blood and fell at the doorstep.”

He said some people had used the toilet before the officers entered the restroom and revealed the facility was monitored by security cameras.

“Three people used the toilet including a driver, who came to fill his vehicle with petrol,” added the employee, who asked not to be named.

“The entire facility is monitored by CCTV cameras and I am sure police will be able to track down the person who planted the bomb in the toilet.”

He added that police had questioned those staff who were on duty at the time of the explosion.

Meanwhile, there was a notable increase in security in the area yesterday with at least three checkpoints in the vicinity and several patrol vehicles on the roads.

“Two policemen were wounded and taken to the hospital after a terrorist bombing at a petrol station,” the Interior Ministry said on Twitter.

A specialist team from the National Oil and Gas Authority also visited the petrol station yesterday to ensure the site was safe and that the blast had not damaged petrol pumps or other equipment.

It is not the first time that a petrol station has been targeted in Bahrain.

Attacks

Last October a gang of anti-government rioters tried to douse a petrol station on Budaiya Highway, in Jeblat Hebshi, with fuel and set it ablaze.

Three weeks later masked youths set petrol pumps alight at a fuel station also owned by Jawad Business Group in Zallaq.

The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) yesterday condemned Saturday's bombing and called for all groups to reject violence.

“All sides should come forward to condemn violence, not theoretically but practically,” said NIHR vice-chariman Dr Abdulla Al Deerazi.

“Violence leads to more violence and is an obstacle for peace and development.”

“The attacks on policemen and others should stop and it's time to say enough is enough,” he pointed out. - TradeArabia News Service