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| Bangladesh |
| Police Question 58 in Bangladesh Attacks |
| 2005-12-02 |
| Police on Friday questioned 58 suspected Islamic militants in bombing attacks outside government buildings this week that killed at least nine people and wounded scores of others, authorities said. Police said they also discovered and defused nine bombs that were left in plastic bags Friday near government buildings in the city of Khulna in southwestern Bangladesh and the central town of Sirajganj. The suspects were detained as part of a nationwide hunt for members of a banned Islamic group, Jumatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which has been blamed for bombings across Bangladesh this year, an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because of official policy. None has been charged with any offense, the official said. A bomber disguised as a tea vendor exploded a bomb Thursday outside a complex housing the chief government administrator's office and a courthouse in Gazipur, north of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. The blast killed one and wounded at least 29 others, authorities said. On Tuesday, three bombs exploded outside a Chittagong courthouse, killing the alleged suicide bomber and two police officers. The same day, a bomb killed five people, including the suspected suicide bomber, inside a library near a courthouse in Gazipur. More than 60 people were wounded in those attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts, but police said they discovered leaflets for Jumatul Mujahideen Bangladesh on the suspected bomber in Thursday's attack. He was wounded and captured. Islamic militants have repeatedly targeted lawyers and judges in Bangladesh, accusing them of promoting secular laws instead of Islamic Sharia rule. The blasts caused panic and triggered protests in courthouses across Bangladesh this week. In some cities and towns, judges refused to attend court for fear of more attacks, private ATN Bangla television reported. Two weeks ago, two judges were killed in the southern town of Jhalakathi by a suspected suicide attacker also allegedly linked to the banned group. Four people were killed and dozens injured in bomb attacks in August and October. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia canceled a visit to the United Arab Emirates that was to start Saturday because of the attacks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahirul Haque said. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Everybody from here to China, in both directions, knows where the problems stem from. Until local governments get over their fear of "interfering" with Islam and start cracking some preachers' heads, the problem will persist. I'd also do a thorough search of a few mosques for bomb-making equipment, pamphlets, and lists of names of known troublemakers. I'm sure there are some "good" mosques where none of that would be found, but there are also many more where there would be plenty to find. Never had that problem with Baptist or Presbyterian churches. Lutherans, on the other hand... 8^) |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2005-12-02 16:18 |