Middle East-based terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the explosion in the capital's Pallabi police station on Wednesday, said US-based watchdog SITE Intelligence Group.
However, the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) denied the claim deeming it to be fake.
Five people, including four policemen, were injured in the explosion inside the Pallabi police station around 7 am on Wednesday.
SITE Intelligence Group Director Rita Katz tweeted, "ISIS claims attack in Bangladesh, targeting a police headquarters in the capital Dhaka. Marks the group's 1st attack in the city since August 2019 and comes amid an attack surge as part of the 4th wave of its "Battle of Attrition" campaign, in lead up to Eid al Adha."
Denying this claim, Saiful Islam, deputy commissioner of DMP CTTC, said the claim is fake.
Adding that it did not appear to be a militant attack based on the preliminary investigation, the deputy commissioner said, it’s the work of local criminals.
"IS made such false claims earlier as well. The latest one is nothing else but another lie. However, we are investigating the incident further," he added.
Another CTTC official claimed the IS is only trying to gain some publicity by involving its name to the Pallabi incident.
On Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the DMP Walid Hossain said Pallabi police, in the early hours, detained three terrorists with two firearms from Kalshi graveyard in the Mirpur area and brought them to the police station. The terrorists possessed a device similar to a weighing machine which blasted later inside the duty officer's chamber.
The bomb accidentally went off before the Bomb Disposal Unit could reach the police station, he added.
