Dhaka, Oct 3 (BDNEWS) - Five powerful bombs went off at courts in Chandpur, Laxmipur and Chittagong district headquarters Monday leaving two people dead and 23 others, including a district judge and a cop, injured.
Hashem Bakaul, 62, died in Chandpur while Mujibul Huq, 65, in Laxmipur, police and hospital sources confirmed.
Five people were injured in Chandpur, 15 in Laxmipur and three in Chittagong.
The blasts took place between 12 and 12.30 pm, forcing suspension of activities of the courts.
Police said three people were arrested from Chittagong, three from Chandpur and one from Laxmipur in connection with the incidents.
The bombings followed Sunday night's explosion in Satkhira where two people were killed and in Brahmanbaria without any injury.
Earlier on August 17, simultaneous serial bombings in 63 district headquarters and some important places left two people killed and more than 300 wounded.
Among the main targets of the August 17 blasts were also the court buildings. Leaflets of Jama'atul Mujahideen found on the explosion sites said they want rule of Allah instead of men.
A total of five bombs were exploded in the latest hit -- two in Chandpur, two in Laxmipur and one in Chittagong. Two bombs were also recovered in the port city from the possession of the arrested persons.
BDNEWS Chandpur Correspondent reported that two blasts left five people injured including Artha Rin Adalat judge Dwijen Dewan, court clerk Abdul Kader and lawyer Mozammel Hoque.
"Some two to three youngmen hurled something targeting the judge while court proceedings were on. It exploded in between the judge and the court clerk," said a spot account.
Hashem Bakaul, who had come to the courtroom as a witness of a case, died in the second blast.
Injured Mozammel Hoque was undergoing treatment at Chandpur Sadar Hospital.
Police caught red handed three people-- Billal, 18, of Rahimanagar in Kachua and Zinnat Ali, 45, of Diaramandal village in Faridganj of Chandpur and Abul Kalam, 19, of Barura in Comilla district -- from the spot.
They, however, claimed they were innocent.
The court area wore a deserted look as activities stopped following the blasts.
The deceased businessman, Bakaul, was father of two sons and a daughter.
Security was beefed up in the district.
BDNEWS Chittagong Bureau reports: The blast at the Chittagong CMM Court took place at around 12.15pm leaving three people injured including court employee Praddyut Kumar Chowdhury, 35.
Three people were caught red handed -- Mohammad Laltu, 18, of Thakurgaon district, Shahdat Hossain, 32, of Haripur in Thakurgaon district and Dulal Chowdhury of Chittagong.
Police are now looking for other involved in the blasts.
Witnesses and police said two accused militants in the August 17 bomb blasts in Chittagong -- Arshad Hossain and Abdus Sattar Mollah -- were produced before CMM Court of Akram Hossain where they were scheduled to make confessional statement under Section 164.
"Just within 10 minutes of producing them in the court, bomb explode with a big bang outside the ejlash," said a court employee.
He added that the group of bombers hurled heavy books targeting CMM Akram Hossain and sessions judge Diljar Hossain at the court.
On duty police caught Laltu, Dulal and Shahdat while judge court employee Abdul Wadud was injured in a scuffle during the arrest.
BDNEWS Laxmipur Correspondent reports: Two bombs went off one after another at around 12 noon at the district joint and sessions judge's court leaving 16 people injured.
Of them, Mujibul Huq, who hailed from Char Ababil village in Raipur upazila, succumbed to his wounds at the Sadar Hospital.
Of the injured, eight people including district joint and sessions judge Abu Sufian were admitted to the hospital.
Other injured admitted to the hospital are police constable Abdul Alim, 50, Idris Ali, 60, Haji Ali Ahmed, 75, Tuka Mia, 80, Shahida Begum, 50 and Shahana Akhter, 35.
Others were released after giving first aid.
Witnesses said the first bomb was thrown targeting the district joint and sessions judge Abu Sufian while the other was exploded at the corridor.
Police arrested Mamun, 22, who admitted his involvement in the blast.
The bomb created a hole inside the courtroom floor.
BDNEWS/1644 hrs
