Bangladesh bomb attacks on Catholic churches, school leave Christians alarmed; police confirm terror angle
Bangladesh's Christian minority is in fear after three bomb attacks on two Catholic churches and one school. No injuries were reported, but police confirmed the intent was to instill terror.
THE Christian minority in Bangladesh are shaken and scared after three crude bomb attacks on two Catholic churches and a school in the country over the past few weeks, according to an AFP report. No injuries have been reported so far.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks or given reasons for the targets, but police confirmed the attacks were “certainly” designed to sow terror, it added.
The first attack took place on October 8, when a crude bomb was hurled at Dhaka's oldest church, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, established by the Portuguese in the 17th century.
Then, overnight Friday (November 7), attackers targeted two more Catholic locations — St Mary's Cathedral and St Joseph's School and College.
Notably, Bangladesh's Christian community is a small minority numbering 500,000 in the country of 17 crore people, it said.
What the police said
Dhaka police spokesman Muhammad Talebur Rahman told AFP, “We are trying to determine whether the incidents are connected or isolated — they are certainly aimed at terrifying people.”
Rahman said attackers targeting the cathedral zoomed up on a motorbike, and “threw a crude bomb inside the school campus and fled”.
How did Catholics in Bangladesh react?
Speaking to AFP on November 9, a churchgoer said there was an “eerie feeling” within the community. “Anxiety grips many of us while going to church,” the 25-year-old university graduate said, asking to remain anonymous.
Nirmal Rozario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Association, said that the crude bomb exploded in front of St Mary's Cathedral, but that around 500 people came the next day to worship.
Political turmoil, tensions ahead of February 2026 elections
Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since a deadly uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina's autocratic government over a year ago, as per the report. The recent attacks on Christian sites add to tensions as parties gear up for elections slated for February 2026, as per the report.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner serving as chief adviser, has repeatedly promised that the first elections since the uprising will be held in February as planned, despite violent incidents.
On November 5, major parties opened their campaigns, which turned violent almost immediately, with a shooting at a rally for the powerful Bangladesh National Party.
Bangladesh police this month also offered cash rewards for the surrender of more than 1,300 machine guns, rifles and pistols looted during last year's uprising.
