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| Bangladesh |
| 3 Huji men held for CPB rally blast |
| 2010-03-15 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Rapid Action Battalion yesterday arrested three suspected Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) members in connection with the bomb blasts that killed five people during a Communist Party of Bangladesh rally in 2001. Those arrested are Moulana Idris Ali, Moulana Abdul Latif and Sakhawat Hossain alias Dulal. Inspector Mrinal Kanti of the Criminal Investigation Department confirmed that Idris and Latif are suspects in the case. He said that Sakhawat will be questioned further to determine whether he is also an accused. Sakhawat and 11 other accused were previously cleared of involvement in the blasts when the former investigation officer submitted his final report. However Rab claims that the three men are Huji operatives and that they were accused in the case filed for the blasts went off on January 20, 2001 at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka that also wounded around 50 others. Sarwar Hossain, Sakhawat's brother-in-law, however claimed that Shakhawat was never involved with Huji. He also said his relative is the general secretary of Dhaka City CNG-Auto-rickshaw and Mishuk Sramik Union as well as publicity secretary of Bhashantek Punarbashan Prokalpa Sangram Parishad (BPPSP). Sakhawat was also the former secretary of Dhaka city's central committee of Jatiya Party (Manju's) labour front, the Jatiya Sramajibi Party. Mishuk Sramik Union President FA Khan Firoz, also adviser of Dhaka City CNG-Auto-rickshaw Union, said that a Rab team picked Sakhawat up on February 16 from Bhashantek. Firoz alleges that a developer of 'Bhashantek Rehabilitation Project' might influence Rab to arrest Shakhawat as he, under the banner of BPPSP, organised slum dwellers protesting their eviction from the project area by the developer. BPPSP leaders also brought the same allegation against the developer at a press conference in the city on March 3. The government awarded a work to the developer to construct flats for middle and lower income people after its decision in September 2003. A team from the Rab intelligence wing captured the three men during a five-hour raid from 12:30 am yesterday at Krishimarket, Town Hall and Dhaka Uddyan in Mohammadpur. Sources in Huji said that Idris was a member of Huji and Latif was a trainer of explosives of the banned militant organisation. The two men were previously arrested for their involvement in various deadly attacks. When they were released on bail they both absconded. Commander Sohail, legal and media wing director of Rab, told a press conference at its headquarters in Uttara that the three arrestees are number 2, 20 and 22 accused in the case, which has 24 suspects. Asked about Shakhawat, the Rab director said in primary interrogation Shakhawat admitted that he is a member of Huji. He also that now only Moulana Monir remains at large. Law enforcers started a fresh move to arrest all suspects accused of politically-motivated violence following instructions to do so from the home ministry. Detained Idris is a relative of detained Huji Dhaka City unit president Moulana Abu Taher and Moulana Tajuddin, who supplied grenades that were used in the attack on an Awami League rally on 21 August 2004. Idris is the brother-in-law of Arif Hasan Sumon, who is also an accused in the CPB blasts case. Following the bomb attack, CPB President Manjurul Ahsan Khan filed a case with Motijheel police station. A top Huji leader, Mufti Abdul Hannan, as well as several other members have been arrested for their involvement in the bomb blasts. Two Indian nationals and Lasker-e-Taiba members have also been arrested and are currently on remand for interrogation. |
| Posted by:Fred |