Four dead in terror attack in Bangladesh aimed at police contingent guarding Eid congregation

Dhaka: Nearly a week after the Dhaka cafe massacre, Bangladesh was on Thursday the target of another terror attack aimed at a police contingent guarding an Eid congregation during prayers. Four persons were killed and over a dozen injured.

The attack was aimed at police personnel deployed at the Sholakia Ground in Kishoreganj district, and came just before prayers began at Bangladesh's largest Eid congregation.

Police said at least 13 people were injured in the blasts and gunfire at the Azimuddin High School gate, a kilometre away from the ground, around 9 a.m. 

Abu Sayem, Additional Superintendent of Police in Kishoreganj, told the Daily Star that the four victims of the attack were two police constables, a woman and an attacker. 

Constable Jahurul Haque, 30, was pronounced dead after he was rushed to a hospital. Constable Ansarullah also died in the hospital, bdnews24 reported.

Witnesses said over 300,000 Muslims, who had gathered at Sholakia to offer the Eid prayers, were trapped in the middle of sporadic gunfire between police personnel and the attacker militants.

Such an attack on Eid is said to be first time in Bangladesh. It was not known immediately who or which group launched the attack.

However, the prayers were not disrupted.

Police said another suspect with bullet wounds was detained from the spot and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Last Friday, Dhaka witnessed an unprecedented terror attack in which 20 hostages and two policemen were killed by Islamist terrorists. They laid siege to the Holey Artisan Bakery and O'Kitchen restaurant and took over 35 persons hostages.

Security forces killed six of the terrorists and captured one, ending the over 12-hour siege. But by then the militants had slaughtered 20 hostages who could not recite the Quran. They included 9 Italians, seven Japanese and an Indian student.