 The probe into the August 17 countrywide blasts seems to stall as investigators are finding it almost impossible to get significant clues which may reveal the motive and detect the masterminds of the attacks. Some of the 300 suspects arrested in connection with the explosions have confessed to having links to the attacks. But they barely can name the leaders of their immediate upper tier, leave alone the masterminds, sources in the intelligence agencies said.
"Awright! Talk! Who's yer boss?"
"Aaaiiieee! Stop that! He's name's Herb!"
"Herb Who?"
"I dunno. Just Herb!" |
Those who have admitted to having links to the blasts, which killed three people and wounded over 100, are members of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). According to the confessions, they carried out the attacks at the call of JMB chief Abdur Rahman.
| "Yeah! He made us do it!" |
The home ministry at a recent meeting has discussed intelligence agency reports that said JMB and outlawed Janajuddha were involved in the blasts. Sources said if Janajuddha was involved, its second-in-command Saifuzzaman alias Shoaib alias Ripon, who died in Rab action on Monday, could have given important clues.
| Gee. It's too bad he got bumped off in the crossfire by his accomplices... |
Besides, there are allegations a large number of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir activists, who were arrested in connection with the blasts, were released without keeping records of their arrest.
"Yeah, I'm sure they're okay. Let 'em go!"
"Can we have our explosives back? We need 'em for... ummm... Friday prayers." |
Initially, law enforcers were carrying out combing operations across the country to net the suspects. But now they look very reluctant despite reports that the JMB and the JMJB are recruiting members to form suicide squads. The Islamist extremists are also continuing their activities in the remote char areas in different northern districts, but the law enforcers are not raiding these areas.
| "Do we look crazy? Those guys got guns!" |
An intelligence agency official in Rangpur has recently told The Daily Star now the drive against the militants are totally controlled by the top officials in Dhaka.
| That'll make it work better, by Gum! |
The arrestees are field level JMB activists or cadres who were only assigned to plant bombs and blast those at the directives of their immediate bosses, another intelligence agency man said. The cadres or field level activists only know their immediate bosses as "responsible persons", the official said asking not to be named. If a field level activist dares to learn the identities of his upper level bosses, he is subject to severe punishment and torture like gauging out of eyes, the official said quoting a detained JMB activist.
| That'd be shariah omerta, I guess... |
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