Armed men attacked a convoy of cars carrying the US ambassador to Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday, US embassy said in a statement on Facebook.
Ambassador Marcia Bernicat and her security team managed to leave the area unharmed, the statement said, adding that two security vehicles were damaged.
The incident comes amid protests by students against lax road safety rules in the country.
On Saturday, Bangladeshi police fired tear gas at crowds of students occupying an intersection in the center of Dhaka.
"It was a peaceful rally, but suddenly police fired tear gas shells aimed at us that left several injured," Mohammad Atikur Rahman, one of the protesters, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency.
A number of journalists were reportedly also beaten, with members of the ruling Awami League party taking away their cameras.
Read more: Is Bangladesh's media freedom deteriorating?
The protests began after two teenage students were run over and killed by a bus speeding down Dhaka's Airport Road on July 29. Since then, thousands of students have taken to the streets, with some even controlling traffic.
More than 100 people were injured in clashes with police in the Jigatala neighborhood on Saturday, with witnesses saying that officers had fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators.
They also reported that alleged pro-government activists had attacked protesting students.
The Awami League has denied allegations that its supporters had inflicted violence on the protesters.
Read more: Declining terror attacks: Why Bangladesh can't afford to be complacent
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh A massive outpouring of anger Bangladesh has witnessed massive student protests over the past several days, after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus in the capital Dhaka on July 29. The demonstrators, mostly students in their mid-teens, blame the government for failing to enforce traffic laws. On Thursday, some students even took matters into their own hands and began enforcing rules and regulations.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh Student demands The protesters have put forward a set of demands for the government. They include strict enforcement of traffic laws, ensuring safe roads and eradicating corruption in the transport sector. Furthermore, they call for harsh punishments for traffic violators, including the death penalty for reckless drivers.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh Tense situation On Thursday, Bangladesh's education ministry shut down high schools and colleges in an effort to quell the unrest. The government also promised students their demands for reforms to road safety would be considered. Still, the anger hasn't subdued. In Dhaka, students were seen attempting to bring traffic discipline by checking drivers' registration papers and driving licenses.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh 'We Want Justice' Authorities have pleaded with students to call off the protests that have nearly paralyzed Dhaka and spread beyond the capital. But they have had little success so far as the demonstrators refuse to give up their protest. Chanting "we want justice," the protesters on Thursday even defied pouring rain to march in Dhaka.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh Beatings and vandalism In some places, there have been clashes between the protesters and police. Videos circulated on social media show the police beating up students in an effort to clear the blockaded roads. Authorities say more than 300 vehicles have been vandalized since the protests started.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh Security before digitization The students say ensuring safe roads in the country should be a higher priority for the Bangladeshi government than digitizing the nation. They argue that internet connectivity and digitization are of little use if the government is unable to ensure security on the country's roads.
Student deaths spark massive protests in Bangladesh Empty highways Meanwhile, not everyone seems to be happy with the students' action. Bangladesh's transport workers on Thursday stopped operating bus services across the country and demanded security from the student protesters. They also staged a demonstration at the Gabtoli Bus Terminal in Dhaka. Author: Arafatul Islam (rr)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the protesters to go home, and authorities have reportedly shut down mobile internet services in much of the country in an apparent bid to slow down protest mobilization and the spread of material that could cause further public outrage.
According to police, some 3,000 people are killed every year on Bangladesh's roads. But that figure is disputed by the private organization Bangladesh Commuters' Welfare Association, which says at least 7,397 people were killed in road accidents last year.
The protests over Bangladesh's transport regulations, which are widely seen as lax and corrupt, are also feeding into more general anger at the government's management of the country.
Recent months have also seen mass protests against a decades-old system of discriminatory civil service recruitment.
Watch video 01:46 Now live 01:46 mins. Share Students take control of Dhaka streets Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/32aFw Bangladeshi school students take control of Dhaka streets
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raijinRR on August 6th, 2018 at 11:23 UTC »
Here's a pseudo ELI5 for anyone who needs it. I copy pasted this comment from over a few hours ago.
Bad governance. Competitive bus drivers killed 2 school students on the footpath. Students took to the streets and handling traffic. For the first time in 47 years, we have an emergency lane and no drivers are allowed to drive without necessary licenses and vehicular papers.(80% of the vehicles drove without correct licenses and paper including government and police vehicles) Traffic rules are maintained. Government approved their own goons to come at us with rods and sticks and machetes, police are also allies with these goons against us. No media is covering this inside our country. Internet blackout is going on. They're shutting down all form of internet connections(no mobile internet except 2G) and quite literally chopping broadband lines off. Our female students were raped and the police just watched because they were ordered not to intervene. Our male students were killed, their eyes clawed off, hands cut and just yesterday got burned alive by trapping them in a restaurant/cafe. We're frantically begging international news channel and you guys to let our government know the world watching. We kept getting attacked during our peaceful protests where we stopped no ambulances and foreigners cars or cars which had necessary documents. The attackers came at us with sticks and machetes. We defended ourselves with our pants belts and roadside bricks. They're injuring journalists trying to get near with intent to kill and breaking cameras from the general public and journalists alike( you can see pictures of it in r/pics) The government is mass kidnapping everyone who spoke out about it in social media and emailed sites like BBC, CNN. They're also, I'll shit you not, sending SMS to everyone who owns a phone that these are fake news and that everything's fine. Just a few hours ago, an internationally renowned man named Shahidul Alam was kidnapped from his home forcefully after deleting the CCTV footage because he gave an interview on AL Jazeera about the current situation. Most celebrities are arrested who spoke up about it on social media. That's honestly all. I'm sorry for being bad at ELI5. Each info was important to get the complete picture of what's happening here. You can stop reading if you want now. Source : am 17 y/o student who was in the protest since day 2.
The goons are swarming around in ambulances in bulks since 2am in my area. They're mad that we fought back yesterday so they're planning to set my locality on fire or attack anyone who leaves their house. It's 5am now. They have guns and machetes. It's going to be a long day. Pray for me bros. I just want to stay alive.
Edit 1: all of our higher educational institutions were attacked today systematically. The students are being repressed by tear gases and actual bullets. No ambulances are allowed to pass to carry the injured protestors to any hospitals. 5 school students died today because they went outside in school uniform they were not even protesting.
Please help. We need the world to tell our dictator that the world is watching.
green_flash on August 6th, 2018 at 06:37 UTC »
Statement from the US ambassador: https://bd.usembassy.gov/u-s-ambassadors-vehicle-attacked-in-dhaka/
More details available from this local news source:
http://unb.com.bd/bangladesh-news/Miscreants-attack-US-Ambassadors-car-at-Mohammadpur/77021
The group mentioned: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_for_Good_Governance_%28SHUJAN%29
hutimuti on August 6th, 2018 at 00:51 UTC »
Bangladesh is another tinderbox that needs to be managed carefully.