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Interpol men arrive, no decision yet on US conditions for FBI help

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Two Interpol officials arrived in Dhaka yesterday while the government was yet to decide on the US demand for full accessibility to evidence and witnesses in case of FBI assistance in the investigations into Habigang carnage.
The Interpol (international police organisation) officials -- Japanese Hiroshi Sumi and US citizen Marc Beauchemin -- came as an advanced team to assess the expertise and logistics required for proper investigations into the grenade incidents including the blasts in Habiganj that left former finance minister SAMS Kibria and four
others dead.
"The Interpol will mainly provide assistance in elaborate investigation into the August 21 attack on an Awami League (AL) rally, grenade attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in Sylhet and the attack in Habiganj," said a top Criminal Investigation Department official seeking anonymity.
"The Interpol would continue to assist until the investigation came to a successful end," Inspector General of Police Ashraful Huda told a private TV Channel yesterday.
Sumi and Marc had a one and a half hours long meeting with the PAGE 1
officials of CID and members of other intelligence agencies at the CID headquarters from 3:00pm.
During the meeting local intelligence briefed them on the recent attacks in Habiganj and the latest developments in the investigation into the August 21 grenade attacks last year that killed 23 people and wounded several hundred others.
The visiting Interpol officials are scheduled to return on February 3. They may stay for one or two days more if needed, said another police official.
"On returning to the headquarters, they will submit a report on what expertise and logistics would it require and later four more Interpol experts will arrive for proper investigations," he said seeking not to be named.
CID officials received the officials at Zia International Airport (ZIA) at 11:50am and took them straight to Hotel Sonargaon without giving the waiting journalists any chance to talk to the two.
Later, they were taken to the CID headquarters. Journalists were not allowed to talk to the Interpol officials also at the entrance to the CID office.
Last year, five Interpol experts, Robert M Thomson, Frev J Bradford, Marash Vucilaj, Sin hiu and Jeffery Eyles, visited Bangladesh to assist investigation into the grenade attack of August 21 last year.
In another development, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday after an hour-long meeting with US Ambassador Harry K Thomas said, "They (US) want to help us, but they believe that giving them access to evidence and witnesses will help them in their investigation here, they have not reached a final decision as yet."
"These are not conditions, but they want full access to evidence and witnesses," Moudud added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan reiterated that the United States had not imposed any conditions in regard to FBI assistance in investigations into the Habiganj carnage.
Morshed said, "If the FBI is sent by the US government, the terms of reference would be decided by the FBI and the home ministry."
He added that in his conversation with Rocca, the US assistant secretary did not mention any terms of reference.
Harry K Thomas said, "The matter is still back in Washington, but we stand by what Assistant Secretary Rocca said."
Asked his comments on the state of the ongoing investigations, Thomas said, "It is up to the home ministry here to investigate these crimes, we cannot comment on that."
Thomas added that Moudud assured him that the government would do everything in its capacity to solve the crime.
Answering a question on the date of arrival of the FBI personnel, Thomas said there would be some arriving on Interpol request only to investigate the August 21 incident.
Inspector General Ashraful Huda told The Daily Star on Sunday that the US investigators to arrive on Interpol request would be asked to investigate Thursday's carnage as well.
On Sunday, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca called Morshed and said that the US was considering Bangladesh's request for FBI help in investigating Thursday's carnage, but for FBI's help to be meaningful they would want full access to all evidence and witnesses.
Rocca also said inaccessibility to all evidence and witnesses undermined FBI assistance in the August 21 investigation and the crime scene of Thursday's carnage in Habiganj has already been damaged due to inadequate protection.
Habiganj carnage case transferred to CID
Of the two cases filed in Habiganj carnage, CID ASP Munshi Atiqur Rahman was made investigation officer of the murder case yesterday while Inspector Shafiquzzaman, IO of the case filed under explosives act. He was appointed officer-in-charge of the local police station the same day.
Meanwhile, Mostafa Kamal yesterday took over the charge of superintendent of policein Habiganj.