Bomb hurled at police van: 2 arrested

Suspected hartal supporters in Rajshahi threw a powerful bomb targeting a police patrol van in Rajshahi city during hartal hours on Wednesday. Motihar Police Station's Officer in Charge Alamgir Hossain said the bombing took place in the Kajla area around 9:00am. Police arrested 2 suspected activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, from the area. Jamaat called the back-to-back 2-day nationwide shutdowns in protest against the death sentence of awarded to its leader ATM Azharul Islam by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 for 1971 wartime offences. Witnesses said the bomb hurled from a lane exploded with a big bang on the vehicle. The van was burned. However, no serious injuries were reported, according to a news agency.