Hours after Thursday’s bombing in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan blamed “home-grown elements” for the attack.In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Mr. Khan said, “I am still saying that these are local boys. They are brainwashed, as it was done earlier [to dislodge the Awami League government], and these attacks were conducted through them, these are home-grown elements. We can identify a pattern in these attacks. The way it was conducted earlier and now have got identical patterns.”
Four people, including two policemen, have been confirmed dead in Thursday’s terror attack. “Two militants are taken into custody and six police personnel are injured,” Mr. Khan said.“Police have done a remarkable job. They stopped the militants at least a kilometre before the historic Eidgah Maidan [field] of Sholakia, where lakhs of people assembled for Thursday’s prayer. The force bravely fought the militants, even while grenades were hurled on them by the militants and thus they [police] saved many lives. Otherwise, it could have been bigger,” he said.
Mr. Khan refused to comment on whether the attack was masterminded by another country. “We are investigating the incidents and we would get to know soon.”