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Made in Bangladesh, made by JMB

Investigators caught off guard by local grenade expertise

Julfikar Ali Manik
The revelation of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB) explosives cache sends a chill down die investigators' spine dial the outlawed militant outfit has developed expertise to manufacture powerful grenades and explosives using materials available in the local market.
Some investigators say they were stunned to see JMB could produce such explosives again even in the heart of the country and without smuggling in materials from abroad.
"We had information regarding JMB regrouping and recruitment moves through dawat [invitation] activities. But after the latest operation, we learned they have gone further as they stockpiled explosives too," Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, Rab additional director general, told The Daily Star yesterday.
During the August 17, 2005 countrywide synchronised bombing, JMB collected from the local market some materials including battery, wire, capacitor, resistor, switch and electric circuit but smuggled in detonators, power gel
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And other explosives materials from abroad, sources say.
On Saturday, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) seized 70kg of explosives in the capital following information revealed by Hanif, a JMB ehsar (full-time member), arrested the same day in Mirpur.
The elite force also recovered 40kg of nitric acid, 150 cases of improvised grenades, a large quantity of bombmaking materials, and over 2,000 Jihad-related books raiding two houses in Mirpur and another house in Shanir Akhra in Dhaka. Speaking anonymously, a Rab official said a local in Mirpur, being suspicious about the activities of the Mirpur house, gave the information to Rab
Morntazur Rahman, a deputy director of Rab Bomb Squad, said the seized explosives are a bit less powerful than TNT (trinitrotoluene).
"IfTNTs devastation capacity is measured at 1, JMB's explosives would be 0.8," he added.
Admitting their failure to obtain information regarding JMB's specific targets, another Rab official seeking anonymity said the outfit was preparing for fresh attacks.
Officials involved in the Rab operation said Hanif claimed during Rab interrogation that he did not know where the explosives would be used as the outfit works very covertly.
A Rab official said they came to know primarily that Hanif got involved with JMB one and a half years ago and was working with its 'dawat' wing. But he was placed on JMB's military wing at least 15 days before his arrest.
Primary interrogation reveals that one Shahid trained Hanif on manufacturing explosives and two others were involved in manufacturing grenades, said a Rab official.
He added they have information that JMB's explosive expert Boma' Mizan, absconding since the blasts in 2005, was in India but recently returned to the country.
Col Gulzar said they may know the plans behind storing
explosives if they can arrest Mizan, Mawlana Sayeed and Saycm (names disclosed by Hanif) and JMB's incumbent chief Saidur Rahman
A Rab official who took part in Saturday's operation said Saidur narrowly escaped arrest during the raid in Mirpur.
Saidur is leading the outfit as its ameer since execution of its former ameer Abdur Rahman and infamous Siddiqui Islam alias Bangla Bhai, says a source.
The Rab officials said it was beyond their imagination that J MB was collecting explosives in rented houses in the capital, exactly what they did earlier before the 2005 blasts.
Col Gulzar said they have formed special cells in all the 12 Rab battalions to prevent militants and the cells have started functioning this month.
A Rab source said the elite force had information that Saidur Rahman held a meeting in Badda in Dhaka after Eid-ul-Fitr. But they got the information a few days after the meeting.