Two grenades were recovered from among flower plants beside the main gate of Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi on Tuesday, prompting authorities to close the entrance temporarily as a security measure.

A passerby spotted the grenades around 11am and informed police. Later, members of the bomb disposal unit defused them in an open field in Pakuria area of Paba upazila.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Md Gaziur Rahman said, "After receiving information that two grenade-like objects were lying beside the main gate of the airport, police rushed to the spot. The grenades were later recovered and defused with the assistance of members of the bomb disposal unit. We are investigating who left them there and for what purpose," he said.

At the same time, Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood arrived at the airport on a flight. After the grenades were found near the main entrance, he was escorted out through the rear gate for security reasons.

According to police sources, the passerby spotted the two grenades among flower plants on the left side of the airport's main entrance and informed the Baya Police Outpost under Airport Police Station.

Following the alert, airport authorities and members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), responsible for security at the main gate, closed the entrance as a precautionary measure. This triggered panic among passengers at the airport.

The mosque gate was subsequently used as an alternative entrance and exit for passengers.