A number of crude bombs exploded near major Christian sites in Dhaka last night, including one just hours before a celebration at St Mary's Cathedral.

Police said around 10:45pm yesterday (Friday), a crude bomb exploded in front of the gate of St Mary's Cathedral Church in Kakrail.

Another crude bomb was thrown on to the church premises, but it did not detonate. Police later recovered the unexploded bomb.

A few hours later, around 3:00am today, two more crude bombs exploded in front of the residence for Christian priests and teachers of St Joseph School and College in Mohammadpur.

"The attack on St Mary's came just before its Jubilee celebration yesterday, a major celebration for Catholics," said church spokesperson Father Bulbul Augustin Rebeiro.

"The Jubilee is a very big event for us. The attack last night was likely intended to disrupt the event," Apu Placid, a PR and communications planner for Anonymous PRCM, a platform for the Bangladeshi Christian community, told The Daily Star.

"Then, on the same night, a residence for Christian priests was targeted. Naturally, Christians across the country are in a state of panic," he added.

These incidents follow a previous crude bomb attack on the Holy Rosary Church in Tejgaon on October 8.

Mobarak Hossain, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Police Station, said two suspects were arrested on Friday over that incident.

A general diary (GD) has been filed with Mohammadpur Police Station regarding the explosion at St Joseph, said OC Md Rafiq Ahmed.

However, Ramna Police Station sources confirmed that no case or GD had been filed for the St Mary's explosion.

Despite the attack, the jubilee was held on the church premises today with devotees attending from across the country.