Bahrain arrests four US journalists on uprising anniversary

Four American journalists covering the fifth anniversary of Bahrain's 2011 uprising have been arrested, police confirmed on Monday.

Reporters Without Borders said the detained journalists were Anna Therese Day, an American freelance journalist and her camera crew, and urged Bahraini authorities to release them "rapidly and without harm".

Police said the journalists entered the country on "false information that they were tourists," and accused one of taking part in an attack on police officers during a protest on Sunday.

The journalists were covering protests to mark the fifth anniversary of the country's uprising demanding reforms and a constitutional monarchy on 14 February 2011.

A statement by Bahraini police said they were arrested in the town of Sitra, south of the capital Manama on Sunday during clashes between protesters and security forces.

"One of them was masked and taking part with a group of saboteurs in Sitra in acts of rioting and sabotage and attacks on security officials. The other three were arrested at a security checkpoint in the same area," said the statement.

The US Embassy in Manama said it was "aware of the arrest of four US citizens in Bahrain" on Sunday but that it could not discuss the case due to privacy concerns.

Bahrain requires international journalists to obtain special media visas before entering to work, however activists say Bahrain has denied media visas for many journalists since the 2011 protests.

The 2011 uprising in Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, were the largest of the Arab Spring wave of demonstrations to rock the Gulf Arab states.

They were driven by the country's Shia majority, who demanded greater political rights from the Sunni-led monarchy.

The protests were quashed after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sent in military reinforcements.

Bahrain blamed Iran for stirring up the demonstrations, though a government-sponsored investigation into the unrest said there was no "discernable link" between the protests and the Islamic Republic.

Demonstrators still take to the streets and clash with police in Shia towns surrounding Manama.