As the clock neared 1:50am, thousands were readying to bring out the traditional Tazia procession from Hussaini Dalan Imambara premises to mark the day of Ashura on Saturday.
Everything seemed to be in order, and no one there was ready for something that had never happened since the tradition of the Hussaini Dalan Tazia procession began in the 17th century.
The first of the three bombs exploded in front of the graveyard there, triggering chaos and sending members of the Shia community running for their lives.
The area in front of Hussaini Dalan gate was engulfed in smoke. Confused and stunned, people started moving towards the Imambara building when two more bombs were thrown – one fell right beside the graveyard and the other on the opposite side of it.
In around 30 seconds, the attack was over. The ground was covered in blood. One teenager – 15-year-old Sazzad Hossain Sanju – was dead, more than a hundred were injured.
Shocked survivors rushed in to carry the victims to nearby hospitals. Around 65 of the injured people were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and 39 were taken to Mitford Hospital, according to the police.
What security cameras captured
Investigators said at least three CCTV cameras in the area managed to capture images of the person who threw the bombs. Video footage also suggest that the attacker might have had an accomplice.
One of the camera footage showed that the first bomb was thrown from the north-east corner of the graveyard as soon as people started exiting the gate. Another camera captured the suspect hurling bombs from the north side of the graveyard.
However, the blurred video images failed to give a clear picture of the attacker’s face, a well-placed DB source told the Dhaka Tribune. He added that it would be difficult to be sure whether all the bombs had been hurled by the same person.
One of the camera footage showed that some children were looking at the suspect just prior to the attack; but no one was seen to make any attempt to stop the attack.
The two suspects were seen running to the west side of the graveyard before making their escape.
The main suspect is believed to have fled using the third exit gate of the Imambara. But his accomplice might have jumped over the graveyard boundary to escape in a planned manner.
A footprint was found near the graveyard boundary, and the police suspect it belongs to the accomplice who was barefooted.
The crime scene
Visiting the spot where Sanju was killed, the Dhaka Tribune found there was still a pool of blood there on Saturday. The teen was reportedly standing in front of Hussaini Dalan infrastructure building gate when the first bomb went off and its splinters entered his body through the back before reaching his heart.
Black explosive residue could also be seen in the spots where the other bombs went off. Blood could also be seen there.
Investigators said the bombs that were used in Saturday’s attack are likely to have been made by the same person. The pin that was recovered from the scene suggested that the explosive device was homemade and the person who made it used GI pipes for its construction. Shrapnel of plastic was also found on the body of many of the injured.
A senior official of Detective Branch, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that they suspect that the perpetrators might have visited the site several times beforehand to plan their attack.
Progress in investigation
The police said there has been no significant progress in identifying the attackers. The four persons who have been detained so far have not been able to provide any lead.
Analysis of video footages was still going on, said Masruqure Rahman Khaled, deputy commissioner of DB (south), adding that they are conducting the investigation while exploring the possibility of whether the Hussaini Dalan attack was linked to the recent killing of a police assistant sub-inspector.
Although the DB west zone was looking into the ASI killing case, they would join forces with DB south zone if there was sufficient evidence that both incidents were linked, Khaled added.