Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Bomb blasts shake Bangladesh

From Journalist Tasneem Khalil
Wednesday, August 17, 2005 Posted: 1148 GMT (1948 HKT)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CNN) -- A series of bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in dozens of cities across Bangladesh Wednesday, striking regional capitals as well as the national capital, Dhaka, authorities said.
According to police, at least 115 people were injured with 350 bombs detonating. Bangladeshi media reported at least one fatality.
"These are planned incidents," said Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babr. "We had intelligence report(s) about such plan but that expired a few days back."
Bangladeshi authorities said they had received reports of bomb blasts from 36 districts across the country.
Jamayetul Mujahedin, an Islamic militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks in leaflets distributed around many of the blast sites.
Most of the bombs exploded in quick succession in and around the government facilities, police said.
In Dhaka, bombs exploded near the high-security Bangladesh Secretariat, the Supreme Court Complex, the Prime Minister's Office, the Dhaka University campus, the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel and Zia International Airport.
At least three people were injured in the Dhaka blasts.
In Chittagong, at least 15 bombs exploded. In Sylhet, officials counted five blasts.
Additional reports of bombings were coming from Nilphamari, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Bandarban, Jessore, Thakurgaon, Moulvibazar, Faridpur, Narayanganj, Comilla and Chuadanga.

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