The government has tightened security around the country following the suicide bomb attack near a temporary camp of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Dhaka on Friday.
Law enforcement agencies around Bangladesh were instructed to put enhanced security measures in place to maintain law and order soon after the blast occurred.
“We have been told to tighten security everywhere,” said Md Moniruzzaman, OC of Lalbagh police station.
A red alert was issued for all the prisons in the country, and security was beefed up at all airports.
“Prison officials have been asked to wear uniforms when on duty and armed officials have been told to carry their guns during duty hours. We have also asked the prison authorities to run proper security checks on visitors before allowing them into the jail premises,” said Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, inspector general of prisons.
Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Ehsanul Gani Choudhury said: “We have taken additional precaution at the airports so there is no security breach.”
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Additional law enforcement members have already been deployed at Dhaka Airport to tighten security, said Tarik Ahmed, additional superintendent of police in Armed Police Battalion. The suicide blast took place near the RAB camp in Ashkona Hajj Camp area around 1pm on Friday, injuring two RAB officials. RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan said the bomber targeted the RAB camp. Middle East-based terrorist organisation Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. The announcement came first on IS’ Arabic Amaq news agency on Telegram and then on at-Tamkin (Bengali) on Friday afternoon, within five hours of the attack. The attack came only two days after Islamic State called for suicide attacks in Bangladesh and a day after the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit of police conducted a raid in Chittagong’s Sitakunda upazila where two militants of New JMB group blew themselves up to evade arrest.
