Bahraini authorities have detained 41 rioters who went on a rampage during New Year's Eve celebrations, damaging cars and properties and assaulting people in the capital Manama, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
A ministry statement said the rioters, mostly teenagers or in their 20s, damaged or set ablaze nearly 130 cars, of which 95 were completely burned. More than 2,000 rioters, many of them masked, were involved. "Those involved in the riots will be questioned and referred to trial," it added.
The riots were centered at Exhibition Avenue, an area that attracts many nationals of neighboring Saudi Arabia who take their holidays in Bahrain. The official Bahraini news agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying the rioters attacked several people in the area, seriously injuring some.
The ministry statement said the rioters also damaged the windows of a U.S. fast food restaurant Jasmi's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and seven hotels in the area.
One witness said the rioters had been celebrating the New Year "before they went crazy, attacking foreigners and damaging properties."
According to The Gulf Daily News, local hoteliers face bills running into thousands of dinars following the riots. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
