Bahrain police officer killed in attack claimed by militants

A police officer in Bahrain has been shot dead in an attack claimed by a Shiite militant group.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said today that 1st Lt Hisham Hassan Mohammed al-Hamadi was killed in what it described as a "terrorist act."

The Ashtar Brigade, a Shiite militant group that has claimed a number of bombings and attacks in the tiny Gulf nation, claimed responsibility in a statement on social media.

The Associated Press could not immediately verify the post, though it came in a forum often used by the group.

Bahrain is the middle of a crackdown on dissent at a level unseen since its 2011 uprising, in which the island's Shiite majority called for greater political rights from the Sunni-ruled kingdom.