Bahrain leader returns from exile

A prominent Shia opposition leader is returning to Bahrain after months of voluntary exile in London.

Hassan Mushaima’s return could mark a new phase for the anti-government movement pressing for more political freedoms in the Gulf nation.

He is head of a Shia group known as Haq, which is considered more hard-line than the main Shia political bloc that has so far led the protests.

Mr Mushaima said he expects to arrive in Bahrain on Saturday afternoon on a flight from Lebanon.

He was among a group of Shia activists accused of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni rulers.

His return had been stalled when his passport was confiscated in Beirut. But Bahraini authorities suspended the trial this week, and Lebanon returned his passport.