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Tarique says Qaeda may have links to Aug 17 blasts

Staff Correspondent
BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman yesterday said international terrorist organisations like al Qaeda might have assisted the perpetrators in staging the August 17 blasts.
Some misguided people of the country might have staged the blasts with the assistance of the extremist groups that had carried out terrorist attacks in the US or Britain, he told BBC Bangla Service last night.
Tarique, also son of late president Ziaur Rahman, is the first top leader of the ruling alliance to hint at possible activities of any international terrorist organisation inside t h e Bangladesh territory.
The government had downplayed many times before the opposition parties' concern that international terrorist groups might be operating in the country.
BBC quoted the joint secretary general of the ruling party as saying that the attacks were made as part of an international conspiracy.
"It is my personal opinion that the same thing happened in the US and Britain a few days ago. People there have been victims of international terrorism and what's happened here is continuation of those acts of terror," he said.
Asked whether al Qaeda, which is squarely blamed for terrorist attacks in the west, had anything to do with the August 17 explosions, he said, "They might be a part of the attacks that were conducted out of an international conspiracy."
On international terrorist organisations' possible existence in Bangladesh, he said one or two of them might have come here or have contacted a section of misled people and have had the blasts done.
Asked whether those who carried out the attacks are being identified, he said, "So far I've learnt from newspapers and our leaders, I think the government is trying its best [to identify]. Maybe we're also contacting those who had been the victims of terrorist acts abroad on how they can help us as we too are trying to keep our country safe."
It is relative, as there is no way to measure the initiatives that have been taken after the blasts, he said replying to a question whether the government initiatives are satisfactory or not.
The government is trying to the maximum to take into the matter, he added.
Whether the blast will adversely affect the people's trust in the ruling alliance's electoral pledge to ensure public safety, he replied it will not tarnish the image of BN P.
He also said the party and its allies will keep on having a strong stance on blast incidents.
Meanwhile, police said the investigation is heading towards the right direction. The investigators are trying to unearth the involvement of the Jama'atul Mujahideen or any possible foreign links in the near-simultaneous explosions, they added.