Second Bahrain detainee dies in custody – ministry

A 23-year-old Bahraini man who was detained in December and accused of smuggling weapons died from an illness in custody on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said, the second death of a person held on security-related charges this year. Jaffar Mohammed Jaffar was arrested in a raid that the government said broke up a plot to bring in detonators and explosives by boat and use them to launch attacks in the island kingdom. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has been rattled by bouts of unrest since February 2011 when members of its Shi’ite Muslim majority took to the streets, demanding democratic reforms from the Sunni Muslim ruling family. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, which regularly denies mistreating detainees, told Reuters on Wednesday Jaffar had not been tortured and said he had received full medical care.