Bahraini authorities have arrested five people in connection with the July bomb explosion in the eastern island of Sitra that killed two policemen.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency BNA on Thursday that a main suspect was identified as 24-year-old Mohammad Ebrahim Mulla Radhi al-Tooq. 

“Five individuals suspected of orchestrating a deadly bomb attack in Bahrain have been arrested,” the statement said, adding that the individuals were also linked to other “terrorist incidents in Bahrain in recent years.”

In the statement, Bahrain claimed that Iran was involved in the attack, repeating accusations that followed the bomb attack in July.

The July 28 bomb blast in Sitra, which is located about 12 kilometers (seven miles) southeast of the capital, Manama, claimed the lives of two police officers. A third officer was seriously injured and five others sustained light to moderate injuries.

On July 30, two days after the bombing and in response to Manama’s accusation, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the attack and strongly dismissed remarks by Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa that the terrorist attack was linked to Iran.

Amir-Abdollahian’s remarks came a day after Iran’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the deadly attack and rejected claims of Iran’s involvement in the blast.

Crackdown on protests

The Manama regime has imprisoned many opposition figures and human rights campaigners on charges that are believed to be unfounded.

The latest arrests come as a prominent Sunni opposition leader in Bahrain accused of “promoting political change” is scheduled to go on trial for a second time.

Without naming the opposition leader, Bahrain's Public Prosecutor Wael Buallay said in a statement on Wednesday that the trial will open in the Higher Criminal Court on August 24. However, judicial sources in the kingdom later confirmed that the statement was referring to Ibrahim Sharif, the general secretary of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad).

The Bahraini regime has countered peaceful demonstrations in the country over the past four years with a heavy-handed measure, which has left scores of people dead and hundreds of others injured.

The country has been witnessing anti-government demonstrations since mid-February 2011, with protesters calling for the ruling Al Khalifa family to relinquish power.