A suicide bomber today blew himself up at the international airport in Dhaka in an attack claimed by Islamic State terrorist group, a week after a similar attack on a camp of Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion nearby.
The bomber, wearing jeans and shirt, was said to be in his 30s. He blew the explosives tied to his waist at a police post at the capital's main Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The attacker could not be identified immediately and authorities were not completely sure it was a suicide attack.
"It appears to be a suicide attack... The man exploded a bomb in front of the police post and killed himself," a senior police officer told reporters.
But hours later the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its propaganda news agency 'Amaq'. The "attack targeted a Bangladeshi police checkpoint near the international airport in the city of Dhaka," Amaq said.
According to a report on Bdnews24.Com, the attacker triggered the bomb apparently in an attempt to target the security personnel present at the entrance of the airport.
Armed Police Battalion Assistant Commissioner Tanzila Akter told reporters the incident happened around 7 p.M.
No law enforcer was injured in the blast, Akter added.
The attack comes after a similar attack on a RAB camp nearby on March 17. Security had been tightened at airports and prisons across Bangladesh after the attack. A suspected suicide attacker was shot dead at a RAB check post in Khilgaon the following day.
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