M A I N   N E W S

Series of blasts rock Bangladesh
*Explosions in 63 districts
*2 dead, 138 hurt
*Ultras target govt offices, courts, press clubs

Dhaka, August 17
About 400 small bombs, suspected to have been planted by an Islamic militant outfit, exploded almost simultaneously in cities and towns across Bangladesh today killing at least two persons, including a child, and injuring 138.

A security alert was sounded all over the country immediately after the explosions which occurred between 11 am and 11.30 am (local time), targeting government offices, courts and press clubs in all but one of the 64 districts in the first such attack in the politically volatile Bangladesh.

No organisation has claimed the responsibility for the blasts but the police suspected involvement of outlawed militant outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh after recovering leaflets under its name from the blast sites which demanded implementation of Islamic law in the country.

At least 46 suspects have been arrested from different parts of the country, sources said.

The private NTV television channel said at least 138 persons were injured in nearly 400 explosions of crude bombs. A rickshaw puller and a child died in the blasts.

“This is not a scattered incident, but an organised one,” State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Baber told reporters at his office. “In such attacks it is possible that a motive is there.”

“We had intelligence report about such incident, but that time had expired,” he said, referring to reports of the possible attacks on 14h, 15th or 16th August.

A Home Ministry statement said that the attacks were an attempt to create chaos and unrest in the country and all possible steps had been taken to ensure security of the people.

The explosions came at a time when Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was away in China on a five-day visit focussing on trade.

Security was put on full alert with the police guarding sensitive points as panic gripped people after the blasts. Check posts across the capital Dhaka have been set up as police searched passing vehicles.

Explosions were reported in the capital Dhaka, southwestern Khulna city, northeastern Sylhet city, near here, besides a dozen more. Earlier reports said similar blasts occurred in Munshiganj, near Dhaka, but later police confirmed no such incident took place in the district.

In Dhaka and several other districts bombs exploded in or around local courts as well as government offices. The police said bombs also exploded in front of Dhaka’s Zia International Airport.

The leaflets found at the sites of the blasts said “it is time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh.

There is no future with man-made law,” and “(US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair) be warned and get out of Muslim countries.”

While calling on the people, government and the political parties represented in parliament to implement the “Allah’s laws,” the leaflets said that “currently laws are formulated by infidels.”

“We’re the soldiers of Allah. We’ve taken up arms for the implementation of Allah’s law,” the Islamic outfit said in the leaflets.

Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, led by the so-called “Bangla Bhai” who is on the run, was banned early this year along with another group Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh. The two groups were accused of being behind a series of bomb blasts, including those at two local aid agencies — Grameen and Brac.

Although officials did not say what kind of bombs exploded today, TV footages showed batteries strapped together in plastic bags. — PTI