IS claims responsibility for blast near airport police box

Staff Correspondent: Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the blast that took place near a police check-post at Airport intersection in the capital yesterday, killing a youth who was reportedly carrying bomb.

Hours after the incident, Terrorism monitoring group SITE Intelligence citing IS's mouthpiece Amaq news agency reported it as “suicide bombing” carried out by their group members.

Office-in-Charge (OC) of Airport Police Station Nure Azam Miah told media that the unidentified youth was killed as a bomb he was reportedly carrying exploded near a police check-post at Airport Road in the city around 7:30pm on Friday.

The identity of the man, aged between 27 and 32, could not be known yet. The man was wearing jeans and a full-sleeve shirt, he added.

Briefing reporters at the scene, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said, “It seems the man with a trolley bag was taking the bomb somewhere. But seeing policemen, he must have become too cautious and ended up causing an explosion.”

“The man's intention was not to attack any policemen. Some 8-10 cops were only about 20 steps away from where the bomb exploded. He could have reached them if he wanted. But he didn't. So it was an accident in which he died,” Asaduzzaman said.

The incident took place just a week after a man entered into a RAB barrack in the capital's Ashkona and blew himself up there. Two RAB members were slightly injured in the incident. IS also claimed responsibility for the incident.

Another youth who attempted to launch an attack at RAB check-post in the capital's Khilgaon was killed in the RAB shooting the following day. Later, RAB claimed the youth was suicide militant.

risingbd/DHAKA/Mar 25, 2017/Nur/Amirul