File Photo of the National Flag of Bahrain
A court in the Arab Gulf country of Bahrain has sentenced four people to life in prison and a fifth to 10 years imprisonment on charges related to an explosion in the capital's financial district last year.
The public prosecutor's office released a statement Monday saying the five Bahrainis were found guilty of setting off the explosion with the intent of terrorizing people and damaging the country's image.
The November 2013 explosion did not kill or wound anyone.
Bahrain has been roiled by tensions since 2011, when the Sunni monarchy moved to crush a revolt by the tiny island nation's Shiite majority.
Shiites have since been holding daily protests demanding political reform, while more radical factions have increasingly targeted government forces with crude, homemade bombs.