Unidentified individuals have exploded crude bombs and torched vehicles in Bangladesh's capital and other areas over the past three days, resulting in at least one death and injuries, according to authorities and media reports. Police stated that paid recruits tied to a banned organization were behind the attacks.
At least 33 people were arrested on Monday in Dhaka, and further arrests were made elsewhere, said Mohammad Akhtar Hossain, a police spokesman. He indicated that a banned group was responsible but did not identify it. Seven crude bombs and two motorcycles used in the attacks were seized in Dhaka, and security has been heightened across the city.
In the central district of Manikganj, near Dhaka, 15 crude bombs exploded early Tuesday, and a driver was killed when a parked bus was set on fire, according to reports from the country's leading newspapers. Crude bombs also exploded over three days in Dhaka, including on the university campus and at a court premises, injuring two people. Several vehicles were also torched.
The violence occurred amidst reports that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country on August 5, 2024, following a student-led mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule, plans to return from exile next month. The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party accused Hasina’s followers of the violence, alleging they aim to destabilize the country.
Hasina, who was sentenced to death in 2025 by a special tribunal for ordering a deadly crackdown on protesters, has requested a new passport to facilitate her return in December. Her counsel sent an emailed request to Bangladesh’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi, urging the diplomat to issue her a passport and national identity card. The government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman dismissed the emailed request as a mockery, stating Hasina must apply in person.