A suicide bomber attacked the Dhaka international airport in Bangladesh on Friday night and blew himself up in front of a police checkpoint.

Apparently he was trying to attack security personnel posted at the Shahjalal International Airport but failed to inflict any injuries or casualties.

The attacker, who died on the spot, could not be identified immediately. It appears that he was a young man in his thirties who tried to blow up the outpost with explosives in his pocket or tied around his waist. The explosion ripped through the right side of his waist and left a gory mess.

Tea seller Salauddin, who witnessed the scene, said he heard a loud explosion around 7:45 pm. He said: "I turned around and found a man's mangled body lying bloody in front of the police box".

Minister for civil aviation and tourism Rashed Khan Menon said the bomb blast will have no impact on the day-to-day operations of the airport.

Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said the attacker, in his early 30s, was also hauling a luggage which is being inspected by the bomb disposal unit.

He also said it may not have been a suicide attack, but a lethal slip when the terrorist was spooked out and detonated the charges early.

Sheikh Nazmul Alam, Deputy Commissioner of DMP (Detective Branch) said the police has collected fingerprints of the attacker, and hoped he will soon be identified.

ISIS LINK

International terrorist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the blast.

The latest incident came a week after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security forces base near the international airport in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, injuring two police officers.

The Muslim-majority country of 160 million people has seen a series of deadly attacks in recent years. In the most serious attack last July, gunmen stormed a Dhaka cafe and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners.

More than 50 suspected militants have been killed and scores arrested since the cafe attack as the government launched a crackdown on Islamists.

(Additional input from agencies)

Also read:

Bangladesh: Dhaka Police arrests main arms supplier of Gulshan Cafe terror attack

Terrorist who played key role in Dhaka's Gulshan Cafe attack last year caught from Kolkata