UPDATE: Video of the bloody reality tonight on Saudi streets.

Remember Qatif - the "weakest" Saudi authoritarian link, whose daily protests, many of them violent, threatened to topple the government last spring when soaring global food inflation set the MENA region on fire and led to the overthrow of numerous regimes in the Mediterranean rim? It's back, only this time not based on food price concerns, but inflamed religious tensions, arising from the arrest, and shooting, of a senior religious opposition figure, Shia cleric Ayatollah Al-Neme. As of minutes ago, Redha Al-boori reports on Twitter, that there have been at least two casuualties as a result of confrontation between Saudi forces using live ammo and protesting Shiites.

The Shia Post reports

"Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has shot injured and arrested Shia cleric Ayatollah Al-Nemer on Saturday 08 July 2012, the Shia Post reported. According to received picture, injuries from which it can be assumed that the arrest was violent. Two weeks ago in his Friday sermon Shaikh Al-Nemer criticised Arab dictators in Saudi, Bahrain. He is well known for publicly criticising dictators. After the shot injures and arrest of Ayatullah Shaikh Al-Nemer, hundreds of Saudis Shiite Muslims took streets in Awamiah and Qatif for his release and protested against the KSA for the brutal attack on Shiite Cleric." The result: protests that have covered the entire city, and reports via Twitter of Saudi forces using live ammo to disperse those protesting.

Videos from Qatif posted moments ago:

And for those who prefer more 'credible' sources of reporting, here is Reuters.

h/t Geoffrey Batt