Sheik Ali Salman, leader of the al-Wefaq opposition political party in Bahrain, has been taken into custody, the Shiite group said Saturday.
Al-Wefaq officials said it was unclear whether Salman and been charged with any offense. They accused prosecutors of using illegal measures to hold him, the BBC reported.
Al-Wefaq, the main opposition party in Bahrain, won 18 parliamentary seats in the last election in 2010 but the members resigned from the legislature in 2011 following a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
Al-Wefaq said a number of people were arrested Saturday while protesting outside Salman's home. Police used an "excessive amount of toxic tear gas" against the demonstrators, al-Wefaq said.
Authorities had no comment on the detention of Salman, the BBC said.
