Bangladesh Rules Out al-Qaida in Blasts
By FARID HOSSAIN
Associated Press Writer
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) _ Bangladesh on Sunday ruled out the possibility of al-Qaida involvement in coordinated bomb attacks on four crowded movie theaters that killed 18 and injured more than 200.
Saturday night's blasts tore through the movie houses during a 30-minute period across Mymensingh, a small town about 70 miles north of the capital, Dhaka.
Three men died of their wounds on Sunday, and poorly equipped hospitals appealed for medicines and blood donations.
Doctors feared the number of dead would rise as 12 of the injured were in critical condition.
"I ... would like to categorically state here that there is no al-Qaida network on the soil of Bangladesh," Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury told a news conference.
Police said a fifth bomb was found Saturday night in a theater in nearby town of Gaibandha, 120 miles north Dhaka, and was defused by the army. It was wrapped in a plastic bag tied to the back of a theater seat.
Officers said 21 theater employees had been detained for questioning. No suspects have been identified and no one claimed responsibility for Saturday's attacks.
Earlier on Sunday, police raided homes in Dhaka and arrested four prominent critics of the government, accusing them of trying to destabilize the state. But Hossain said their cases were not connected to the bombings.
They were identified as Saber Hossain Chowdhury, an aide to the country's main opposition leader; Shafi Ahmed, an opposition student leader; and writers Muntasir Mamun and Shahriar Kabir.
Police chief Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury said the blasts were "the work of an organized group," but he stopped short of labeling it an act of terror.
Muslim Bangladesh has denied accusations by neighboring India that it has become a safe haven for terrorists. It's also rejected media claims that it has been used as a base by al-Qaida.
A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said explosives had been planted in the theaters' projection rooms and went off when the cinemas were full of early evening moviegoers.
Ten people were killed instantly, while five others died on way to a hospital, a local resident quoted doctors as saying.
Most of victims were Muslims celebrating the Eid-ul-Fitr festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
About 3,000 people were believed to be inside or outside the theaters at the time of the blasts.
Many of the dead and injured were hit by falling bricks and steel, witnesses said.
"It was a terrible scene. Doctors were overwhelmed with so many injured," said Muzahed Ahmed, a university teacher who took part in the rescue work.
"I heard a big bang and then saw many people running for shelter," said Jahangir Alam, a journalist who was witnessed one blast.
"There were bodies lying in blood and many injured crying for help," he told The Associated Press by telephone.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was due to visit the blast sites and meet the injured on Sunday.
Army troops patrolled the small town as thousands of people besieged hospitals looking for relatives and friends.
Similar bombings of a theater and a circus show killed six people and wounded 200 in September in the southwest.
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