CHITTAGONG: Two bombs exploded at a mosque inside a navy base in the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong on Friday, injuring six, police said, adding that two people have been arrested.

Police said the mosque inside the Isha Khan naval base in the southeastern city was packed with worshippers attending Friday prayers when several bombs were thrown.

“Of the five bombs thrown at the mosque, two exploded. They looked like small grenades. Six people were injured,” Deputy Commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Harun Ur Rashid Hazari told AFP.

Two people were arrested at the scene but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, he said.

Chittagong police chief Abdul Jalil Mandal confirmed the attack, saying the bombs were thrown towards the end of the weekly prayers.

Related: One killed, three injured in gunmen attack on Shia mosque in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been roiled by rising unrest, two foreigners were shot dead — a Japanese farmer and an Italian aid worker — while several minority Sufi Muslim leaders and two policemen have been killed.

Police blame an outlawed militant group, Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh, for the recent violence while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government accuses the main opposition party and its ally of trying to trigger anarchy.

The parties, however, deny the claims.

Analysts say militants pose a growing danger in conservative Bangladesh and that a long-running political crisis has radicalised opponents of the government.

There was no official comment from the Navy or the country's armed forces on Friday's attack.

Opinion

Editorial

Dangerous law
Updated 17 May, 2024

Dangerous law

It must remember that the same law can be weaponised against it one day, just as Peca was when the PTI took power.
Uncalled for pressure
17 May, 2024

Uncalled for pressure

THE recent press conferences by Senators Faisal Vawda and Talal Chaudhry, where they demanded evidence from judges...
KP tussle
17 May, 2024

KP tussle

THE growing war of words between KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is affecting...
Dubai properties
Updated 16 May, 2024

Dubai properties

It is hoped that any investigation that is conducted will be fair and that no wrongdoing will be excused.
In good faith
16 May, 2024

In good faith

THE ‘P’ in PTI might as well stand for perplexing. After a constant yo-yoing around holding talks, the PTI has...
CTDs’ shortcomings
16 May, 2024

CTDs’ shortcomings

WHILE threats from terrorist groups need to be countered on the battlefield through military means, long-term ...