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10 die in Bangladesh church blast
Atiqur Rahman
Tribune News Service

Dhaka, June 3
At least nine persons (10, according to UNI) were killed and 13 injured in a bomb blast at a Catholic church today while the local people were attending a Sunday prayer at the church at 7 am.

The blast at Baniarchar in Moksedpur sub-district of Gopalganj district in the southeast is suspected to be the job of the Hizbul Mujahideen forces backed by Pakistan’s ISI. Moksedpur is part of the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Intelligence agency and district administration sources in Dhaka told TNS that the bomb was planted earlier and it blew off when the prayer had just started. The police cordoned off the church.

Prime Minister Hasina has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

It may be recalled that Hizbul Mujahideen activists were blamed for an attempt on the life of Ms Hasina a few months back near her ancestral home at Tungipara.