One person dead, several injured as bombs explode in three Bangladesh courts

Bombs exploded at court buildings in three towns in Bangladesh on Monday, killing one person and wounding several others, police said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts, but a government minister said several people had already been arrested.

"I've just heard that bombs went off at three places," junior interior minister Lutfozzaman Babar told reporters outside his office in Dhaka. "I've no details about the blasts."

Babar said several suspects have been arrested.

A 60-year-old man was killed and a lawyer was seriously injured when two bombs went off at a court building in Chandpur town, 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka, the Chandpur police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Almost simultaneously, two bombs exploded at a courthouse in neighboring Laxmipur town and injured at least seven people, the private news agency United News of Bangladesh reported.

Two more bombs also went off in a court building in Chittagong, the country's second-largest city, 215 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Dhaka, private TV station ATN Bangla reported.

One of the bombs in Laxmipur exploded inside a courtroom, leaving a judge with minor injuries, the UNB news report said.

No motive for the attacks was immediately apparent, reports the AP.

P.T.