Bombs Kill 17 in Bangladeshi Cinemas

Bombs tore through four Bangladeshi movie theaters packed with Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan on Saturday, killing at least 17 people and wounding 200, police and witnesses said.

The bombs went off in and around the normally quiet tourist town of Mymensingh, 70 miles north of the capital, Dhaka, starting at 6 p.m. A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosives appeared to have been planted in the projection rooms of the theaters.

Many of the victims were injured by falling brick or steel. The death toll could rise because dozens of the wounded were in critical condition, doctors said.

The theaters were crowded with people celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. About 3,000 people were believed to be inside and around the theaters when the explosions occurred.

“It was a terrible scene. Doctors were overwhelmed with so many injured people being brought at the hospital,” said Muzahed Ahmed, a university teacher who took part in the rescue work.

No one claimed responsibility for the blasts, but early today, police said they had arrested more than 20 suspects. Two opposition leaders and two writers also reportedly were detained; however, it was not clear if their detentions were linked to the bombings.

Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury said Saturday that political opponents might have been behind the explosions in a bid to try to destabilize the government. He also said the attacks could be the work of the Al Qaeda terror network and ordered a national security alert.