A female journalist shot dead in Bahrain in front of her young son was allegedly murdered by a member of the Gulf State's royal family, according to activists.

The killing of 28-year-old Eman Salehi, a Shia woman, shocked the island kingdom but new allegations threaten to elevate the case into realm of politics and potentially spark fresh protests against the Sunni monarchy.

Ms Salehi was shot in the street on December 23 as her six-year-old son watched through the window of the car.

Her killer shot Ms Salehi, a popular sports journalist, once in the head and immediately turned himself into police in the city of Riffa, which is popular with both military officers and members of the royal family.

The interior ministry would say only that there had been a "murder of a female" but the state run news agency identified the suspect as "a 34-year-old Bahraini man" and said he had been "referred to the relevant judicial party to continue the necessary legal procedures."