Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) seized 70kg of explosives following the confessional statement of an ehsar (full time member) of the banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) whom they arrested Saturday at Mirpur in the city. They also seized 40kg of nitric acid, 150 cases of improvised grenades, a large quantity of bomb-making materials and equipment, and over 2,000 books on jihad raiding two houses in Mirpur and another house at Shanir Akhra in the capital.Rab Additional Director General Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed said, "The JMB stockpiled the explosives and the books as they were preparing for fresh attacks and recruitment."
Rab captured JMB ehsar Mohammad Hanif alias Kamal, 28, hailing from Nandorkandi of Matlab upazila in Chandpur, at his home at Kalshi of Mirpur. Col Gulzar said Kamal is an ehsar of JMB's military wing. He is a close associate of present JMB chief Maulana Saidur Rahman.
Maj Momtajur Rahman, chief of the bomb disposal unit of Rab, told The Daily Star, "It is possible to make over 500 bombs with the seized explosives."
According to Rab officials, JMB chief Saidur was staying at a house in Mirpur-10 and he disappeared after Kamal was arrested. Kamal told reporters at Rab headquarters that they had been carrying out activities for jihad against the government which enforces man-made laws. He said they have the expertise to make bombs.
Col Gulzar said the JMB men had been recruiting people. Despite a number of major arrests made during crackdowns on Islamist militants in the last few years, over 250 trained operatives of JMB are still at large and many of them are reportedly trying to regroup. Fugitive JMB operatives have now become a matter of grave concern for the law-enforcement agencies which have no clue to their whereabouts and activities.
Their concern has recently increased as they received bits of intelligence information from across the country that the fugitives are now holding secret meetings under a new leadership.
Saidur Rahman took over as the new chief of JMB after JMB chief Abdur Rahman, second-man Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and four other top JMB leaders were executed.