Bahrain Prisoners Freed in Attack on Prison Van

Several prisoners in Bahrain escaped Sunday from a prison van that was smashed into by two cars whose occupants helped them flee in an assault south of the capital Manama, an official said.

The unprecedented attack was carried out by "outlaws", the prison official said, indicating that the escapees were "involved in security issues" -- Shiites accused of violence during protests that have rocked the Gulf state.

One prisoner who escaped and an attacker were later arrested, the official said, without specifying how many detainees or attackers were still at large.

Bahrain has been shaken by protests by the Shiite majority against the regime of the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty since February 2011.