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Scores of Bomb Blasts Shake Bangladesh
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Police around the country tightened security and searched people and cars. (Reuters).
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DHAKA,
August 17, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A series of
simultaneous bomb blasts hit Bangladesh Wednesday, August. 17, injuring
at least 40 people and sending waves of panic across the country.
"There
are bomb blasts all over the country. We have reports of some injuries
but no fatalities yet," said Abdul Kaiyum, Bangladesh's Inspector
General of Police, Agence France Presse (AFP) said.
A
total of 111 small home-made bombs exploded near bus and train stations,
courts and administrative buildings in the capital Dhaka, the southern
port of Chittagong and other various towns in the country.
Police
said 15 bombs went off in the capital Dhaka and other 20 blasts hit
Chittagong.
Nine
other explosions were reported in the southern town of Barisal and at
least six in the southwestern town of Khulna.
Police
chiefs in 11 other towns and districts reported a further 61 blasts.
A
police officer in Chittagong said he believed the bombs were locally
made and remotely controlled. He gave no further details.
Bengali
Authorities said they had tightened security across the country and
ordered a crackdown on possible suspects.
Following
the blasts, police and security forces were quickly deployed and were
seen checking vehicles at Dhaka's main intersections.
Dhaka
police chief Mizanur Rahman said one person was arrested in Dhaka with
blast injuries to his hand.
Police
in southeastern resort town Cox's Bazar said they detained two with live
bombs after blasts there seriously injured five people.
No
Claim
No
one claimed responsibility for the blasts, but police in some affected
cities said leaflets were found near the scene of the blasts carrying a
call by a banned Islamic group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, for Islamic rule
in Bangladesh.
Chittagong's
police commissioner, Mazeedul Haq, said the leaflets read: "It is
time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh. There is no future with
man-made law."
"It
is the third call to establish Islamic rule in the country. If ignored
and (if) our people are arrested or persecuted, Jaamat-ul-Mujahideen
will take the counter action," the leaflet said, Reuters reported.
It
also warned the United States and Britain against occupation of Muslim
lands.
"It
is also to warn (US President George W.) Bush and (British Prime
Minister Tony) Blair to vacate Muslim countries, or to face Muslim
upsurge," said the leaflet.
Bangladesh
banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen along with Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh
in February for their alleged involvement in criminal activities,
officials said.
Bangladesh
with a population of 140 million is the world's third largest
Muslim-majority nation.
Its
four-party Islamist-allied coalition government has repeatedly rejected
claims that it could have a problem with Islamic extremists.
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