Interrogators yesterday quizzed Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami about 10-turckloads of firearms and ammunition seized in Chittagong on April 2,2004.

Nizami, the then industries minister, is being interrogated in the arms haul case as the consignment was offloaded at the jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Company Ltd, which is under the industries ministry. He had sent the then industries secretary to Chittagong before the consignment was seized.

Besides, the interrogators are quizzing Nizami and his two other top party colleagues about the attack on Prof Humayun Azad, training on small arms by Jamaat's health division members and the party's source of funds, police sources said.

Nizami along with Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee are now on remand in two cases and being quizzed at the Detective Branch headquarters in the city.

Asked what he knows about the smuggling of the biggest consignment of arms and ammunition in Chittagong, Nizami denied having any link or previous knowledge about it, said a highly placed police officer, who is in the interrogationteam.

"As we argued that he had sent then industries secretary Nurul Amin to Chittagong a couple of days before the seizure of the consignment to ensure safe passage, Nizami became very nervous and remained tight-lipped, said the official.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has already interrogated Nurul Amin in connection with the arms haul and asked the former industries secretary not to leave the country.

The official said they would also question the top three detained Jamaat leaders about the attack on prolific writer Humayun Azad as after the incident, Sayedee at a gathering hinting Azad said, "There was a Murtad (apostate). We have sent him to afterlife, where he will burntilltheendofthetime."

In his speech, Sayedee also said, "If needed, we will train on arms to counter armed attacks."

The DB official said they had video footage of the speech and would present it before Sayedee and others.

Police officials said during interrogation detained JMB chief Saidur Rahman, who was once the Jamaat Ameer of Habiganj district, had already said that Jamaat's health division, formerly known as Tamil Department, is still carrying out training on small arms in the hilly areas ofChittagong.

The training camp, which was earlier in the deep forest of Sylhet, has been later shifted to Chittagong.

"We will also interrogate the top Jamaat leaders about the training camps," said the official.

Meanwhile, police yesterday held 25 leaders and activists of Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir when they were holding a meeting at a hotel in Chittagong city. Searching the arrestees' cellphones, police found text messages sent to certain people inviting them to join Sunday's rampage in the port city.