British High Commissioner injured in Bangladesh blast

The British High Commissioner was injured when a bomb exploded at a Muslim saint’s shrine in northeastern Bangladesh today, police and witnesses said.

An army helicopter has been dispatched to bring the Commissioner, Anwar Choudhury, to the capital Dhaka.

The extent of his injuries was not known.

Choudhury, a Bangladeshi-born Briton, was visiting the shrine days after taking over the office last week.

The blast also injured more than 40 other people, including senior government officials, police said.

The blast came at Friday’s Islamic noon prayers at Hazrat Shahjalal shrine in Sylhet city, 120 miles northeast of Dhaka, said a police official.