Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday seized compact disks (CDs) containing militant training manuals, capacitors resembling to those used in the August 17 bombs, and firearms from a den of Ataur Rahman, younger brother of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Ameer Abdur Rahman, at East Bashabo in Dhaka.
Ataur, who, law enforcers believe, hired the house four to five months ago and coordinated the countrywide bombing from this house using pseudonym of Hassan alias Sunny, narrowly escaped arrest.
Intelligence officials said Ataur used to carry out all subversive activities from the six-storey house No. 102/1 on Patwari Goali in east Bashabo. The Rab also arrested five bomb blast suspects, including
a woman.
The law enforcers found a file on a computer seized from the house, containing a lesson plan on training of bomb making.
Meanwhile, some JMB men yesterday sent a fax message to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Jamalpur, threatening the government with dire consequences unless it stops crackdown on JMB men following recent confiscation of movable properties from JMB chief's Jamalpur house, well-placed sources said.
Bangladesh authorities hope that the Interpol will soon issue red notice across the world against Abdur Rahman and his ally Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, chiefs of banned militant organisations JMB and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB).
Law enforcers, in another development, arrested two suspects of the August 17 incident--a Bangladeshi expatriate in the USA and a nephew of a person who coordinated the bomb blasts in a division--from Sylhet and Satkhira.
The Rab members raided the house of one Anwrul Karim at about 3:00am after AHM Shamim, a bomb blast suspect arrested from Bahubal in Habiganj on Wednesday, admitted that some people linked to the August 17 explosions are residing there.
They arrested five people from the ground floor of the house.
The Rab men also seized one cut rifle, one revolver with a bullet, 700 capacitors, 60 CDs, 92 books and four audiocassettes on jihad, 17 masks made of black cloth, one computer with two printer machines and 10 floppy disks.
Other seized items include one electric blower, three books of madrasa toll receipts, three diaries, nine books of districts maps, one motor cycle, one punching machine and Tk 2 lakh.
The arrestees are Noor Azam alias Yasir, 29, son of Abu Bakar Siddiq of Peerganj upazila in Rangpur, Aleya Ferdousi alias Ayesha, 26, wife of Yasir, Akramul Islam, 23, son of Ishaq of Mirzapur upazila in Tangail, Belal Hossain, 21, son of Harunur Rashid of Joypara upazila in Joypurhat, and Mohammad Zakaria, 21, son of Azhar Hossain of Gomostapur upazila in Chapainawabganj.
"The CDs and the computer are protected with passwords, but we have so far managed to run a few CDs containing the militants' training manual," said Director General (DG) of Rab MAAziz Sarkar.
"Our efforts are on to open the other CDs, but it may take two to three days to open them all."
About the capacitors, the Rab DG said the capacitors used in the bombs blasted on August 17 functioned after 15 minutes, while those recovered from the house start functioning after seven minutes.
FAX TO JAMALPUR DC
The fax message sent to Jamalpur DC Golam Mostafa asked him to stop the operation against the JMB and threatened with dire consequences if the operations continue.
The DC, however, said he had not received any such message.
INTERPOL RED NOTICE
The Interpol is likely to issue a red notice soon all over the world against
JMB chief Abdur Rahman and JMJB operation commander Bangla Bhai in case they are hiding in foreign countries, Abdul Quayum, inspector general of police (IGP), told The Daily Starlast night.
An Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but it allows such a warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition.
Meanwhile, Sayeed Nizami, coordinator and accounts officer of Farid Uddin Masud's Islahul Muslimin Parishad Organisation, who was arrested on September 1 in connection with the August 17 serial bomb blasts, was placed on a four-day fresh remand yesterday.
On completion of his five-day remand, Nizami was produced before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka, with a seven-day remand prayer, reports our court corespondent.
The forwarding report said excessive money was withdrawn from Masud's bank account prior to the bomb blasts and being Masud's accounts officer, Nizami needs to be quizzed further to find out who drew the money and who were involved in the bombing.
After hearing, the court sent Nizami on a four-day remand.
SATKHIRA ARREST
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday arrested Azam, nephew of JMB's divisional commander Fakar Uddin Raji of Patharghata village, reports our correspondent.
The CID men also seized Raji's motorbike from Azam's garage at Kalaroa.
A Satkhira court, meanwhile, placed three JMB cadres Nasir Uddin, Maniruzzaman Munna and Mahbubur Rahman Liton on a six-day fresh remand each yesterday.
The three were taken to Satkhira from the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka for seeking the remand.
SYLHET ARREST
Our Sylhet correspondent reports the Rab yesterday arrested a Bangladeshi expatriate in the USA-Idris Ali, 50, of Chandpur--from his house in Sheikhghat area of Sylhet for his alleged complicity with the August 17 incident.
The Rab claimed Idris confessed during interrogation to his involvement in the August 17 bombing.
Idris went to the USA 12-14 years ago and returned to Sylhet only four-five days before the countrywide bombing.
After interrogating him, the Rab handed Idris over to the Kotwali police who immediately sent him to the Osmani Medical College Hospital as he fell sick during the interrogation.
Police also seized Idris' US passport.