Two more Huji (Harkatul Jihad) members arrested in connection with the bomb attack on the British high commissioner were shown arrested in the Ramna Batamul blast case and were placed on a seven-day remand yesterday. They are -- Hafij Syed Nayeem of village Syedpur under Jagannathpur upazila of Sunamganj and Badrul Alam Mizan of Habiganj Sadar upazila.Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Shamsul Alam passed the order when CID Inspector Abu Hena Mohammad Yusuf, also the investigation officer (IO) of the Ramna blast case, sought a ten-day remand. Earlier, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with the help of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) produced the two, also close accomplices of Mufti Abdul Hannan, operations commander of the banned Islamist outfit Huji, before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court, Dhaka.
In the forwarding report placed before the court, the IO said that the two Huji men were earlier arrested and remanded for their alleged involvement with the bomb attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004. During interrogations, they admitted that they also blasted bombs at the Ramna Batamul. So, they need to be quizzed to find out vital clues to the blasts, the IO added. Earlier, Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, also a Huji member, and his accomplice Azahar alias Mamun were also shown arrested in the Ramna Batamul blast case and were interrogated on remand.
Ten people died and several others were injured on April 14, 2001 when bombs went off at the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at the Ramna Batamul. On June 14, 2001, one of the arrestees, Maulana Akbar Hussain, gave a confessional statement to a metropolitan magistrate and disclosed names of Mufti Hannan and others involved with the blasts.