A Sunni lawmaker who has criticised Bahrain's tactics against the opposition says that gunmen attacked a business he owns in what he called a possible "assassination attempt".

Osama Muhanna al-Tamimi says at least 30 bullets were fired early on Saturday at his gym in Sanad, about 10km (6 miles), south of the capital Manama.

He says no one was in the gym at the time and there were no injuries.

But, he says he believes he could have been the target because he often stays there after closing.

Al-Tamimi is a rare critic within the Sunni political establishment of the Sunni monarchy's crackdowns against the 14-month-old uprising by Bahrain's Shia majority.

Earlier this week, he called for the government to step down as a way to ease the growing violence.

[Source:AP]