DUBAI (AFP) - Bahrain police have arrested Mr Ali Salman, head of the main Shiite opposition bloc Al-Wefaq that has spearheaded protests against the authorities in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, the group said on Saturday.

"Al-Wefaq can confirm that sheikh Ali Salman has been arrested," it said in a brief statement.

"He is in detention after a series of illegal measures which comprised summonsing him to the office of criminal investigation and bringing him before a public prosecutor," the statement added, without elaborating.