Bomb attacks on Bangladesh churches and school spark Christian fears amid political turmoil before 2026 elections; no injuries, motive unknown.
Newsroom (10/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) Crude bomb assaults on three Catholic sites, including the nation’s oldest church, have plunged Bangladesh’s Christian minority into alarm, with authorities confirming the devices were intended to instill terror despite causing no injuries.
The incidents, spanning from Oct. 8 to Nov. 7, targeted the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Dhaka—established by Portuguese missionaries in the 17th century—followed by simultaneous strikes on St. Mary’s Cathedral and the adjacent St. Joseph’s School and College. Police spokesman Muhammad Talebur Rahman described the attacks as “certainly” designed to sow fear, adding that investigators are probing potential links between the events.
“No group has claimed responsibility, and the motive remains unclear,” Rahman told reporters on Nov. 9. Surveillance footage from the cathedral attack showed assailants arriving on a motorbike, hurling a device into the school grounds before fleeing.
The assaults come amid Bangladesh’s fragile political landscape, over a year after a violent uprising ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. With national elections scheduled for February 2026, interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus—a Nobel Peace Prize laureate—has vowed to proceed despite escalating tensions. Major parties launched campaigns on Nov. 5, marred by violence, including a shooting at a Bangladesh Nationalist Party rally.
Bangladesh’s Christian community, comprising about 500,000 people in a nation of 170 million predominantly Muslim citizens, expressed profound unease. A 25-year-old university graduate and churchgoer, speaking anonymously on Nov. 9, described an “eerie feeling” permeating services. “Anxiety grips many of us while going to church,” he said.
Father Bulbul Augustine Rebeiro, secretary for the Episcopal Commission on Social Communication, addressed journalists at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Nov. 9, recounting the Nov. 7 explosion around 10:25 p.m.—hours before a planned jubilee celebration. “We heard a huge sound near the main entrance. Security rushed and found a crude bomb,” Rebeiro said. He demanded a swift investigation and “exemplary punishment” to deter future incidents, emphasizing the lack of any known motive.
In response, Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze convened church leaders on the morning of Nov. 10, resolving to install additional CCTV cameras across key sites, erect an archway at the cathedral, and strengthen internal security protocols, according to Father Albert Rozario of St. Mary’s.
Nirmol Rozario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Association, issued a stern condemnation: “There is no scope to look at these incidents lightly.”
At St. Joseph’s School and College, Principal Brother Chandan Benedict Gomes reported heightened anxiety but insisted operations continued normally, with classes resuming as scheduled.
The attacks underscore broader instability, as police this month announced cash rewards for the recovery of over 1,300 firearms looted during last year’s upheaval. Yunus has reiterated commitments to a timely vote, but the bombings risk exacerbating communal strains in a country striving for democratic restoration.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
Related Images:
