 The mastermind of the deadly suicide bomb attacks on Gazipur Bar Library and in front of the gate of the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC’s) office on November 29 and December 1 respectively, that killed 11 people and injured over 90, was arrested with bomb-making materials from the house of a former intelligence personnel yesterday.
| Something wrong with this surprise meter... |
A contingent of Gazipur police led by police super Atiqul Islam conducted the raid at a house belonging to a former officer of National Security Intelligence (NSI), and arrested Wahiduddin alias Jewel (25) and his wife Swapna (19) along with their two-and-half-year-old son Khalid from their rented Telipara residence near Chourasta in Gazipur town at around 3:45am yesterday, police sources said .
| You gotta watch those two-year-olds. They can be vicious... |
Police arrested Jewel following the statement of two Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadres Akash and Mintu, who were arrested from Chittagong for their alleged involvement in the suicide bombings at Chittagong court premises. Police seized some bomb-making materials including iron rings used in fishing nets, volters, magnets, wires, compass, flask, springs, sand and pieces of glass from the house. Police also picked up the house caretaker Moniruddin (32) and his wife for questioning. The owner of the house Nesaruddin, who was a NSI personnel, told police that he did not know anything about the activities of the JMB operative as he (Jewel) rented his house two months ago identifying himself a cloth trader, police sources said.
When contacted, Gazipur police told The Independent that they arrested Jewel while he was making bombs. Police also arrested six JMB cadres from different parts of Gazipur following Jewel’s statement and the arrested six cadres were taken on police remand for interrogation, police sources said. Police sources said, the local people did not know anything about the JMB commander’s activities as his house was covered with curtain in accordance with the edicts of Islam.
| Convenient, those edicts, aren't they? |
The high officials of police are now questioning Jewel at Gazipur Detective Branch (DB) office about his involvement in the suicide bomb attacks in Gazipur. A highly placed source in the DB police told this correspondent yesterday that the two suicide bomb attacks on Bar Library of Gazipur and in front of the gate of Deputy Commissioner’s (DC’s) office on November 29 and December 1, were carried out under his (Jewel) supervision. In the attacks 10 persons including four lawyers were killed and over 90 persons were injured. During the interrogation, the JMB commander told police that he was producing two more bombs for carrying out further suicide bomb attacks on December 6, the source added.
| They must have asked him very nicely for him to give that kind of detail... |
Quoting Jewel the source said that he (Jewel) made the bombs which were used in the two suicide bomb attacks in Gazipur on November 29 and December 1 and he gave these bombs to the two members of JMB suicide squad for attacking the lawyers and the DC of Gazipur district. Intelligence sources said, the arrested Jewel who is a commander of JMB in Gazipur district disclosed scores of names of JMB suicide squad members and the locations, where they are now staying. But the source declined to make public the names and the locations. During the interrogation Jewel said that hundreds of JMB suicide squad members are staying scattered in Dhaka and its adjoining districts to carry out suicide bomb attacks, a reliable source in DB said. Following Jewel’s statement, Gazipur police conducted block raids on different parts of Gazipur, Dhamrai and Savar to nab the JMB members.
Meanwhile, another victim of the November 29 suicide bomb attacks on the Bar Library, Advocate Anwarul Azim, succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday. The death toll from the two bombings in Gazipur now rose to 11 with his death. The lawyers of Gazipur Ainjibi Samity brought out a procession and held demonstration as the news of the advocate’s death reached the district headquarters. The November 29 suicide bomb attack on the district bar library left three people killed including the bomber on the spot and injuring 30. Five more died on the same day, while one died on December 3 and one yesterday. One person was killed and 30 others injured in the December 1 blast. |