Manama, Bahrain  - A Bahraini criminal court Tuesday ordered the release of 19 youths after finding them not guilty of involvement in an attack in a Shiite village which left one policeman dead.

The High Criminal Court in a verdict issued in the presence of observers from human rights and political groups, found that all 19 were falsely accused in the molotov cocktail attack in the village of Karzakan, north-west of the capital Manama last year.

The ruling was hailed by defense lawyers and the opposition alike.

"We were confident of the not guilty verdict because all the evidence we presented discredited the allegations made against our clients," the head of the defense team, Mohammed Al Tajer, said.

He added that the ruling proves the independence of the judiciary in the Bahraini system, a view shared by Ebrahim Shareef, the secretary-general of the largest leftist opposition grouping, Waad.

"It was a fair decision, and it is a victory for the detainees and the judiciary system as well," Shareef said.

Authorities had rounded up the 19 from the village within hours after the April 9, 2008 attack on the unmarked anti-riot police car, which left a 24-year-old policeman of Pakistani ethnic origin dead. Three other police reportedly escaped with minor injuries.

The 19 were charged with murder, attempted murder of the other policemen in the vehicle, as well as destruction of public property. Initially they confessed, but then later recanted in court, alleging that they were tortured, a claim denied by the authorities.

The case is one of two murder cases being reviewed by Bahraini courts involving Shiite youth accused of carrying out attacks with molotov cocktails.

Ten other youths also stand accused of taking part in a similar attack in Maamer, a village south of Manama, last March which resulted in the death of a 58-year-old Pakistani expatriate.

Defense lawyer Al Tajer expressed hopes that the 10 accused would also be freed, because their case was similar to the Karzakan one.

Last April, Bahrain's King issued a pardon for 178 Shiites - including four key opposition figures - accused of taking part or instigating the protests, following a deal that was brokered by top Shiite clerics and the largest of the Shiite opposition groups, Al Wefaq Islamic Society.

The deal was suppose to include the 29 youths from the two molotov cocktail cases. But a failure to reach a compensation deal with the families of the two Pakistani victims led to the resumption of the trials amid accusations by the opposition that elements within the government had thwarted an agreement.(dpa)