MANAMA/CAIRO (Alliance News) – Prominent Bahraini opposition member Khalil al-Marzooq was detained and referred to the public prosecutor on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said.

Al-Marzooq, a former member of parliament and the deputy secretary general of the leading opposition grouping al-Wefaq, was arrested a day after being summoned by the authorities for questioning.

The ministry did not announce what charges he is facing.

His arrest sparked an emergency meeting of al-Wefaq to review what it described as an escalation of moves by the authorities against the opposition. It said government actions were reckless and amounted to repression.

The London-based opposition grouping Bahrain Justice and Development Movement (BJDM) condemned the detention of al-Marzooq as politically motivated, and as a “direct attack on Bahrain’s moderate opposition.”

The movement warned that the arrest would negatively affect the on-going process of national dialogue, and pointed out that his detention came after a speech last week during which he expressed support for the anti-government February 14th Coalition Movement.

Protests demanding political reform and greater freedoms in Sunni-ruled, Shiite majority Bahrain began on February 14, 2011.

The ensuing crackdown on opposition rallies left around 100 people dead, according to opposition figures.

Copyright dpa