Judges killed in Bangladesh blast

Supreme Court lawyers demonstrate against the killing of the judges

Two judges have been killed in a bomb attack as they travelled to court in southern Bangladesh, police say.

The two officials died when a man threw a bomb at their vehicle in Jhalalkati, 120 km (75miles) south of Dhaka.

One was killed instantly and the other died en route to hospital. Two other people were injured in the blast, including the suspected attacker.

Bangladesh saw a number of bombings in August and October that targeted judges, journalists and politicians.

One person has been arrested by the authorities after the blast.

Bangladesh's Home Minister Lutfozzaman Babor has blamed the enemies of Islam for the attack.

"This is an act of those who want to brand Islam as a religion of terrorists," he told journalists after visiting the town.

But he did not name any group in connection with the attack.

The attack took place a day after a two-day meeting of seven South Asian leaders ended in the capital, Dhaka, amid tight security.

Hunt

Police said the man arrested was also injured in the blast. He tried to explode another bomb he was carrying in his pocket while in custody, the authorities said.

They say they have recovered some leaflets from the man who was arrested from the blast site.

The police say the motive of the attack is not known yet.

Other judges walked out of their courts in protest against the attack and demanded better security. Lawyers also held demonstrations across the country.

This is the third attack on judges in Bangladesh in the last month.

Two people were killed when suspected Islamic militants exploded bombs in courthouses in three districts last month.

A judge in north-eastern Sylhet town escaped when a bomb was thrown at his car last month.

The BBC's Waliur Rahman in Dhaka say the series of attacks on judicial officers followed countrywide bombings in August this year, which left two people dead.

A banned Islamic group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, has been blamed for the bombings. More than 400 people have been arrested since then.

But the police say they are still hunting for the group's chief, Abdur Rahman, and his deputy, Siddiqul Islam. The banned group wants to establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh.

Police believe the courts and judges are made targets because they symbolise the secular laws in the country.