Two killed, 50 hurt as more than 250 small bombs explode across Bangladesh

DHAKA, Wednesday, (AFP) More than 250 small bombs exploded within an hour of each other across Bangladesh Wednesday, killing two people and injuring 50 in an unprecedented attack initially linked to a banned Islamic extremist group.

The bombs, which killed a man and a 10-year-old boy, exploded in almost all of Bangladesh's 64 towns and cities including the capital Dhaka, between 10:30am and 11:30am (0430 and 0530 GMT), the Home Ministry said in a statement.

"At all the blast scenes, leaflets bearing the name of the recently banned Jamayetul Mujahideen group were found," it said.

Fifteen people had been arrested in connection with the explosions, police said, adding they were probing the possible involvement of Jamayetul Mujahideen. The leaflets called for the implementation of strict Islamic law. Some 255 explosions, including 15 in Dhaka and 20 in the southeastern port of Chittagong, targeted local administrative offices, courts, bus and railway stations. The home ministry appealed for calm.

"After analysing all the incidents it is assumed that the main aim of the explosions was to create panic and to create a destabilised situation in the country," the statement said.

Abdul Kaiyum, Bangladesh's Inspector General of Police, told AFP, "These were small, homemade bombs designed to create panic."

Most of those hurt suffered minor injuries, police said, adding that they had no reports of any serious or life-threatening injuries.

Mazeedul Haq, Chittagong's police commissioner, said the leaflets bore the name of the Jamayetul Mujahideen and read: "It is time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh. There is no future with man-made law."

Jamayetul Mujahideen and another hardline group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, were banned in February for alleged links to a wave of bombings of non-governmental groups, holy shrines and other targets.

A police official in Barisal said leaflets had been found there reading: "Bush and Blair, be warned and get out of Muslim countries. Your days of ruling Muslim countries are over." The bombings began 90 minutes after Prime Minister Khaleda Zia left Dhaka for China, where she is scheduled to spend five days on a trade-focused visit.

Home Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar said security had been stepped up across the country. The young boy killed suffered fatal injuries when he picked up one of the devices in the central town of Savar, said local police chief Tariq Kamal. "The boy was seriously injured and died after being taken to hospital," he said.

In the northwestern town of Chapai Nawabganj a passer-by was also killed.