One dead in attack on Dhaka Shia

Baku. 24 October. REPORT.AZ/ A bomb attack on Shia Muslims in Bangladesh has killed one person and wounded at least 50 others, Report informs citing the BBC.

Police said several homemade devices were thrown at thousands of worshippers gathering for the annual Ashura procession in the capital, Dhaka.

Leaders of Bangladesh's small Shia minority said it was the first time the procession had been targeted.

In Pakistan, at least 22 were killed on Friday when a suicide bomber attacked an Ashura ceremony in Jacobabad.

The blast happened before dawn on Saturday in the old town area of Dhaka at around 02:00 (20:00 GMT Friday).

Shia Muslims were gathered at the historic Hussaini Dalan, the main Shia site in the city, to start an annual rally to mark the occasion of Ashura.

Police arrested three people at the scene, but have released no information about the possible identity of the attackers.

"It is our apprehension that blasts were carried out only to panic the people and to create a chaotic situation," said Colonel Ziaul Ahsan of the elite Rapid Action Battalion.

"We've recovered two unexploded bombs. These are like explosive devices and almost like grenades and fitted with batteries," local police chief Azizul Haq told the AFP news agency.

None of those taken to hospital were reported to be in critical condition.

During Ashura, Shia Muslims mourn the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad.