Bangladesh questions bomb blast suspect

A stampede followed the bomb blast

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh police are questioning a student in connection with the bombing of an open-air concert that killed nine people and wounded 26.

The blast hit as 2,000 revelers welcomed Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, early Saturday at a park in downtown Dhaka.

No one has claimed responsibility but Bangladesh has been struck by a series of general strikes and clashes as a standoff mounts over when the next election will be held.

The opposition, which has been pressing for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation to pave the way for early polls, has planned another three-day general strike beginning April 23.

Police said on Sunday they suspect the bombing was the work of four young men who lived together in a rented house in Demra, an industrial town near the capital Dhaka.

A college student, identified only as Swadhin, was detained late Saturday for questioning. Another suspect is believed to have died in the blast. Two others are among 10 people being treated in two state-run hospitals.

Close watch

Police and rescue workers examine the scene

"We are interrogating the detained man and keeping close watch on the two other injured suspects in hospitals," Abdul Hannan, the police officer investigating the blast told reporters.

The two will be questioned after they recover, Hannan said.

Hasina was joined by President Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed and opposition leader Khaleda Zia in condemning the attack and calling for the perpetrators to be punished.

On Saturday police recovered part of a steel pipe stuffed with explosives and wires. The device was apparently carried in a gift-wrapped cardboard box found nearby.

Police and army experts were examining the splinters and some papers found on the victims.

Seven people were killed instantly, while two others died at two state-run hospitals, doctors said.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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