Deadly bombing strikes Bahrain amid rising sectarian tensions

A bomb killed two policemen and wounded six Tuesday in the deadliest such attack in Bahrain in months.

The bombing outside a girls' school in the Shia village of Sitra was the worst attack in Bahrain since March 2014, when a blast killed three policemen.

Bahrain state media says the bomb used resembles one it seized earlier this week that it says came from Iran. Iranian officials have not yet commented on Tuesday's bombing.

Bahrain, ruled by a Sunni monarchy, has long accused Iran of stirring up unrest among its Shia population, which comprise about two thirds of the island nation's 1.3 million people. Tensions between the two sides have risen in recent days, with Bahrain recalling its ambassador from Tehran on Saturday.

A nuclear deal reached this month between Tehran and global powers has also set its Gulf Arab neighbors on edge. They fear that an easing of foreign pressure on Iran, as a result of the deal, could embolden Iran to try to exercise more influence on their turf. 

Tehran denies interference in Bahrain but openly supports opposition groups seeking greater rights for the Shia majority. Violence aimed at Bahraini security forces has become common since 2011, when mass Shia pro-democracy protests were put down by the government.

Tuesday's blast also wounded six policemen, two of them critically, state news agency BNA reported.

The force of the blast ripped a large hole in the wall of the school, which was closed for the summer holidays, a witness told Reuters.

Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shia opposition movement, condemned the attack in a statement on its website, saying “such acts are alien to the wide peaceful popular movement which is demanding a democratic transition in Bahrain.”

Al Jazeera and Reuters