Bahrainis wielding knives and sticks have attacked residents of Shi’ite villages, beating them in retaliation for a bomb attack against the police.

Bahrain has detained doctors and other medics as part of a crackdown on mainly Shi’ite pro-democracy protesters, the opposition said on Tuesday.

A security clampdown in the Riyadh kept a lid on a planned day of rage, while police in Kuwait and Bahrain appeared to deflate demonstrators’ zeal.