Bahrain police officer injured in shooting as tensions spike

FILE- In this Friday, March 14, 2014 file photo, Bahraini anti-government protesters burn representations of the flag of Gulf countries' Peninsula Shield forces, during a protest in Malkiya, Bahrain. Bahraini authorities say they have put to death three men found guilty of a deadly attack on police, the kingdom's first executions since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising rocked the country in 2011. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE- In this Tuesday, March 11, 2014 file photo, a police officer stands next to a paint-splattered armored vehicle at a checkpoint at the entry of Eker village, Bahrain. Bahraini authorities say they have put to death three men found guilty of a deadly attack on police, the kingdom's first executions since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising rocked the country in 2011. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File) (The Associated Press)

Anti government protestors block the road in the Jidhafs district of Bahrain, Sunday Jan. 15, 2017, after authorities executed three men this morning they found guilty of a deadly attack on police, the kingdom's first executions since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising rocked the country in 2011. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Bahraini authorities say a police officer has been injured in a shooting that occurred during a spike in anti-government protests in the island kingdom.

The Ministry of Interior said Sunday the officer was hurt when several people shot at a police patrol in Bani Jamra, west of the capital Manama. It gave no further details.

The shooting came amid a series of marches and clashes between opposition activists and police Saturday.

The latest unrest was sparked by rumors that three men found guilty of a deadly 2014 attack on police were set to be executed or already had been put to death.

Their executions would be the first since a 2011 uprising led by Bahrain's Shiite majority that called for greater political rights was crushed by the Sunni-led government.