Bahrain Captures Two Escaped Inmates

Bahraini authorities caught two inmates Wednesday after their escape from a main jail prompted the dismissal of the Gulf kingdom's prisons chief, the interior ministry said.

The pair who escaped on Monday were being held over their alleged involvement in Shiite-led protests in the kingdom, where the Sunni monarchy crushed a February 2011 uprising backed by the Shiite majority, according to lawyers.

"Police arrested at dawn today those who escaped from the Reformation and Rehabilitation Center" of Jau in southwestern Bahrain, the ministry Tweeted in English.

They were arrested at a house in the Shiite village of Saar with others "wanted in security cases", it said.

Witnesses told Agence France Presse that authorities set up checkpoints at the entrances of Shiite villages after the jail break, as interior minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa ordered the dismissal of the country's prisons chief.

Sheikh Rashid has also formed a committee to investigate the incident and assess security shortfalls.

Scores of Shiites have been arrested, tried and jailed since the monarchy put down the 2011 revolt, which was inspired by Arab Spring protests that swept long-ruling dictators from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

Protesters are frequently detained for taking part in unauthorized demonstrations and clashing with security forces in Shiite villages.