Rapid Action Battalion members arrested a fugitive Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) activist in connection with the August 17 countrywide series bomb blasts from the capital's Bhatara on Sunday.

The arrestee, Sagir Hossain, 45, is a chargesheeted accused in a case for blasting bombs near the then Zia International Airport terminal, now Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Tuhin Mohammad Masud, commanding officer of Rab-1, told a press briefing at Rab-1 headquarters yesterday.

On August 17, 2005, around 500 bombs went off at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts across the country. The bombs exploded in half an hour from 11:30am. JMB, the banned Islamist militant outfit, claimed responsibility for the blasts.

A team of Rab-1 raided Shaheed Abdul Aziz road area on Sunday evening, acting on a tip-off that Sagir might hide somewhere there and nabbed him, added the Rab official.

He further said two other JMB members, who were arrested earlier in connection with the bomb attacks, in their confessional statements said

Sagir was directly involved in the airport bomb blasts.

The two also said Sagir had been hiding in different places in Gazipur, Turag and Bhatara since the series blasts happened to avoid arrest.

Hailing from the capital's Uttarkhan, Sagir also stands accused in a case for exploding bombs in front of Star Watch and Islami Mishtanno Bhandar in Gulshan-1 in the same year, said the Rab official.

In response to a query at the briefing, Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab media wing director, said they were scrutinising the authenticity of the recent video message released by global militant outfit al-Qaeda over launching its branches in South Asia.

The Rab official also added that after talking to Indian police, they had not found any authenticity of media reports about arresting four Indian citizens who were entering Bangladesh to meet a recruiter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).