Blasts in Bangladesh target Shias, kill at least one, wound dozens

A series of blasts targeting Shias in Dhaka killed at least one person and wounded dozens more early on Saturday as they gathered for a procession in the old part of the Bangladesh capital to mark the holy day of Ashura, police said.

Police cordoned off the area and were investigating the blasts, which they said were caused by improvised explosive devices. They said it was unclear who carried out the attack.

Witnesses said that people ran frantically after blasts, losing their flip-flops and sandals as they scattered.

“It is our apprehension that blasts were carried out only to panic the people and to create a chaotic situation,” Colonel Ziaul Ahsan, an additional director general of the elite Rapid Action Battalion, told reporters.

At least 10 people were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and most of them were in a stable condition, according to Nazimunnesa, a deputy director.

Attacks on the Shia minority have been rare in Sunni majority Bangladesh, but Sunni militant groups have become more active.