Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Dhaka Arrests Over 500 After Bomb Blasts, Bus Arson
Dhaka has seen several crude bomb explosions and bus fires.
Police arrested more than 500 people during a major security operation.
Officers set up over 200 checkpoints and searched important roads and entry points.
One explosion injured a rickshaw puller.
Police also found bombs and materials that could be used to make explosives.
Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage to find those responsible.
Police linked one earlier blast to tensions surrounding a tribunal’s death sentences, but investigations are continuing.
The unrest comes as an opposition alliance prepares a protest march from Dhaka to Rangpur.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested more than 500 people within 24 hours as security was tightened across the capital.
Police established more than 200 checkpoints and deployed officers at Dhaka’s four major entry points.
Crude bombs exploded near the High Court, Jatrabari, and a local police station, injuring a rickshaw puller in one incident.
Several buses were set on fire in Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Rajbari, according to the reports.
Police recovered unexploded crude bombs, gunpowder, petrol, nails, and other materials while investigating the incidents.
- Who
- Dhaka Metropolitan Police, other law-enforcement agencies, and people arrested in connection with the incidents; the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance is also planning a march.
- What
- More than 500 arrests followed crude bomb explosions and several bus-arson incidents, prompting a large security operation.
- When
- The incidents were reported from Friday through Sunday, including a High Court explosion on Sunday, September 20; the arrests occurred during the following 24-hour period.
- Where
- Dhaka, including the High Court, Supreme Court, Jatrabari, and multiple city neighborhoods; additional bus fires occurred in Mymensingh and Rajbari.
- Why
- Police said the measures were intended to maintain public safety and prevent further incidents; the unrest also coincides with tribunal sentencing and a planned opposition protest march.
- Arrests
- More than 500 people arrested in Dhaka within 24 hours
- Security deployment
- More than 200 checkpoints and officers at four major entry points
- Major explosion
- A crude bomb exploded outside the High Court’s main gate on Sunday, September 20
- Additional incidents
- Explosions were reported in Jatrabari, and buses were torched in Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Rajbari
- Recovered materials
- Unexploded crude bombs, 500 grams of gunpowder, 250 grams of petrol, nails, and other materials
- Confirmed injury
- A rickshaw puller was injured in an explosion at a Dhaka crossing
- Legal action
- Four people were arrested over the Jatrabari Police Station blast, with a case filed under the Explosives Act