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Shafiqul Islam Shafiqul Islam Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh Bangladesh 20060331 Link
  Shafiqul Islam Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh Bangladesh 20051226 Link

Bangladesh
Bodies of 29 Awami League leaders, family members recovered
2024-08-07
[Dhaka Tribune] The bodies of at least 20 leaders of the Awami League, its associate bodies and their family members were recovered across the country on Tuesday.

At least 10 people were killed in attacks and violence in Satkhira following news of the loathesome Sheikh Hasina
...Bangla dynastic politician and now exiled former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She was President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia showed such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums. That is probably because Khaleda's late husband was the Pak tool who had Mujib assassinated...
's resignation from the post of prime minister and her departure from the country on Monday.

The houses and business establishments of several Awami League leaders and activists were vandalized and looted.

Police also reported arson and looting at Satkhira Sadar and Shyamnagar cop shoppes.

In Comilla, at least 11 people were killed in mob attacks. Six people were killed as the three-storey house of former councilor Md Shah Alam in Ashoktala was set on fire by miscreants.

Their bodies were recovered from the house on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Among them, there were five teenagers.

The dear departed are Shaon, 12, Ashiq, 14, Shakeel, 14, Roni, 16, and Mohin, 17, and Mahfuzur Rahman, 22.

Eyewitnesses said that on Monday, an angry mob attacked the house of Shah Alam in the area.

At one point, some people climbed to the third floor of the house.

Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa suddenly spied Mr. Bartlett at the checkout counter. He was buying Grecian Formula!...
the mob set fire to the ground floor of the house.

Later, the people who took shelter on the third floor died of smoke inhalation and were burned to death.

At least 10 people were maimed in this incident. Among them, one seriously injured is undergoing treatment in the ICU.

Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa suddenly spied Mr. Bartlett at the checkout counter. He was buying Grecian Formula!...
four people died in a fire set by an angry mob at the house of Member of Parliament Shafiqul Islam Shimul of NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
re-2 (Sadar and Naldanga) Constituency.

The bodies were found in several rooms, balconies, and roofs of the MP’s house, named ’Jannati Palace,’ in the city Tuesday morning.

The body of a college student named Akib Hossain, 17, was first found around 7:30am. He was an 11th-grade student at NATOre City College.

The other three deceased are Siam Hossain, 18, Yasin Ali, 18, and Shariful Islam Mohan, 27.
Related:
Awami League: 2024-08-06 Satkhira ex-chairman shoots 3 dead, mob lynches him, associates
Awami League: 2024-08-06 Hasina moved to secure location in India
Awami League: 2024-08-06 Sheikh Hasina will not return to politics, Joy says
Link


Bangladesh
Massive explosion in Dhaka Bangladesh UPDATE: Police say caused by gas leak
2021-06-29
[CITIZEN FREE PRESS]


7 killed, 50+ injured in blast in Bangladesh capital

The cause of the blast, which occurred on the ground floor of a three-story building on a busy street in Dhaka's Moghbazar area, was not immediately clear. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told reporters that at least seven people died. The injured were taken to hospitals, he said.

Seven nearby buildings and three buses were damaged in the explosion, he added.

Another police official said the fire service was working with the police bomb disposal unit and counter terrorism unit to investigate the origin of the blast.

Witnesses said it was a scene of destruction with glass shards and broken concrete on streets. Two passenger buses were heavily damaged outside the building where the explosion took place, witnesses said.

"A fireball went over my head. Everything became dark and smoky with the sound. Pieces of glass started to shower from above. If I didn't use this (a folder bag) as a cover, I would've been under the glass pieces. Allah saved me from them," said Omar Sani, who was at the scene during the explosion.

"Then the buses crashed into one another, and one got crumbled. One man got out from that damage. He was in very bad condition. We brought the other injured here. We found four people including one kid at one place ... the kid died from the impact. I brought the kid to hospital," he said.
Update from Benar News at 1:10 a.m. ET:
Police in Bangladesh say a gas leak may have caused a major explosion in a busy neighborhood in Dhaka late Sunday, killing at least seven people and injuring scores more.

The blast at around 7:30 p.m. caused the partial collapse of a three-story commercial building where the earth-shattering kaboom happened, and shattered the windows of neighboring buildings and damaged buses passing by.

Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed said methane gas might have caused the blast.

"When gas cylinders are not properly maintained, they can turn into explosives," he said after visiting the scene of the earth-shattering kaboom. "We will work with the Fire Service to find out the reason behind this incident."

No conclusion can be drawn before a full probe is complete, Benazir said, adding however that the blast scene did not look like a bombing.
Based on this information, moved to Page 3: Non-War on Terror
Link


Bangladesh
Shake up at DMP after Pallabi police station bomb blast
2020-08-09
[Dhaka Tribune] The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner has transferred six police officers, including a deputy commissioner (DC) of DMP Mirpur Division, over the bomb blast at Pallabi police station in Dhaka on July 29. The explosion had injured four officers and one other.

DMP Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam on Saturday transferred Mirpur division DC Mostak Ahmed and Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Pallabi police station, to other posts through an official order.

Police sources said there is an allegation that the mishandling of explosives in Pallabi police station on the morning of July 29 had led to the blast, after police claimed to have arrested three goons from the Kalshi area.

However, family members of three arrested allege that they had been picked up a few days earlier.

DMP has formed a probe committee over the blast incident and the transfer orders were issued with the investigation ongoing.

However, DMP DC (Media) Walid Hossain said it was all part of routine transfers and the investigation was yet to be completed.

THE EXPLOSION

Pallabi police station OC Nazrul Islam (transferred) told Dhaka Tribune on July 29 that a police team recovered the bomb, which was hidden inside a digital weighing machine commonly used in general stores, during an operation in Pallabi's Kalshi area early on Wednesday. Three local criminals were also arrested during the operation.
"Into th' paddy wagon wit' yez! C'mon! Move along!"
The bomb accidentally went off when the policemen tried to defuse it at the police station.
"Piece of cake! Here, lemme just tug this here little wire [KABOOM!]"
All the injured were initially admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
"Aaaiiieee! I am undone!"
"Don't be so dramatic! Here, lemme just pull this here thing out and..."
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!"
"Young Doctor Md Kildare here will just stitch up ... whatever that is."

The incident took place against the backdrop of recent intelligence reports suggesting the members of New JMB, who follow Islamic State (IS) ideology, would try to carry out attacks in Bangladesh, including against police establishments, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. However, the authorities concerned have denied the involvement of militants in the incident and suspect that it was the work of local criminal groups.
"Nar. They ain't terrorists. They're just goons."
"Can you define the difference?"
"No membership cards."

DMP Additional Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy said on July 29: “Recently, a group of criminals have been committing different crimes in the Mirpur region.
"What crimes?"
"Different crimes."

"A team led by the Mirpur DC was trying to nab them for several days.
"Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for goons!"
''Acting on a tip-off, Pallabi police arrested three members of the group near Kalshi cemetery at around 2am, while the other members managed to flee.
"Flee! Flee for your lives! It is the law!"
"The trio had firearms, four bullets and a device that looked like a weighing machine in their possession.''
"Boss! Boss! Gimme a bullet!"
"No! You hold the weighing machine! And whatever you do, don't drop it!"

The weighing machine seemed suspicious, which was why the police called the bomb disposal unit.
"A weighing machine?"
"Yes. It's a... ummm... gift!"
"For who?"
"For Mister Big!"
"Nar. He's already got a weighing machine!"

A member of the bomb disposal unit came to the station and analysed the device.
"Bomb squad! Maake way! Make way!"
Later, he sought help from a member of the unit specialised in defusing bombs and asked him to come to the station with a few more tools.
"I thought you were with the bomb squad?"
"Yeah, but I don't defuse weighing machines. That takes a specialist!"
Link


Bangladesh
Kamal: Islam has no place for terrorism, militancy
2019-12-11
You don't get out much, do you?
[Dhaka Tribune] Terming Bangladesh as a role model of curbing militancy and terrorism, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has aid Islam does not allow terrorism and militancy.

"We have successfully controlled militancy following the zero tolerance policy set by Prime Minister the loathesome Sheikh Hasina
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums...
," he said on Tuesday.

Kamal was speaking as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of a two-day "National Conference on Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism 2019" at Bashundhara International Convention Hall, reports BSS.

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police organized the national conference in collaboration with Stop Violence Coalition Secretariat of UN, USAID and a non-government organization Rupantar.

CTTC Chief and Additional Commissioner of DMP MdMonirul Islam chaired the program.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Mohammad JavedPatwari and DMP Commissioner MdShafiqul Islam addressed the program as special guests.

Bangladesh is a role model in the world for rooting out militancy, the home minister said, adding: "Our law enforcement agencies are working coordinately to curb extremism and militancy."

He said Madrasas are not involved in producing Death Eaters because militancy has no place in Islam. "Peace loving people in this country never liked militancy. It is not accepted that militancy and terrorism will exist in this peaceful country," he added.

Mentioning that Bangladesh’s people do not give shelter to militancy, he said incidents of murder took place in the country, but people resisted those incidents unitedly.

"We have to engage our children in welfare activities so that they cannot get involved in extremism and violent activities," the minister added.

He urged the people not to believe all internet contents.

"We have to use our wit and knowledge to be sure which internet contents are believable and which are not," he added.

Link


Bangladesh
7 to hang for Holey Artisan terror attack
2019-12-06
[Dhaka Tribune] A Dhaka court on Wednesday delivered the verdict in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack case, sentencing seven New JMB bully boyz to death and acquitting one of all charges.

The July 1, 2016, carnage saw 23 people killed, including 17 foreigners and two coppers, and ended when an army commando team stormed the cafe premises in Gulshan and shot the five attackers dead the next day.

The seven condemned to death are: Md Aslam Hossain alias Rashed alias Ryash, Jahangir Hossain alias Rajib Gandhi, Abdus Sabur Khan alias Sohel Mahfuz, Hadisur Rahman Sagor, Rakibul Islam Regan, Shariful Islam Khaled, and Mamunur Rashid Ripon.

The court ordered hanging them till death, apart from fining them Tk50,000 each.

The verdict, pronounced by Judge Md Majibur Rahman of the Anti Terrorism Special Tribunal, drew shouts of "Allahu Akbar" from the convicts, who showed no remorse.

Of the seven, Jahangir, Aslam, Shariful, and Sabur, were among those who planned the attack, Hadisur and Ripon supplied the arms, and Regan was the religious trainer of the attackers.

Jahangir also recruited the five cafe attackers: Nibras Islam, Mir Sabeh Mubashir, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel, and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal.

The eighth accused in the case, Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan, was acquitted of all charges as the charges were not proved beyond doubt by the prosecution.

All eight were either top leaders or members of New JMB, a splinter faction of banned Death Eater outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
The JMB is said to be the youth front of Al Mujahideen, the parent organization that began working toward establishing Bangladesh as an Islamic state in the mid 1990s, which remains obscure and probably defunct today. Other organizations, such as Jama'atul Jihad, JMB, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI), Hizbut Tawhid, Tawhidi Janata, Islami Jubo Shangha, Islami Shangha, Al Falah A'am Unnayan Shanstha and Shahadat-e al Hiqma are believed to be part of the Al Mujahideen network. The JMB at its peak was reported to contain at least 100,000 members, and an alleged 2,000-man suicide brigade, few of whom actually exploded. JMB allegedly received financial assistance from individual donors in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Reports have claimed that funding of JMB by international NGOs like Kuwait based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS) and Doulatul Kuwait, Saudi Arabia based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute and Rabita Al Alam Al Islami, Qatar Charitable Society and UAE-based Al Fuzaira and Khairul Ansar Al Khairia. The top leadership of JMB was captured in 2005 and hung in 2007, which pretty much shot their bolt.
, or JMB.

The accused were brought to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court premises around 10:15am, where security was beefed up ahead of the verdict in the case filed for the deadliest terror attack in Bangladesh’s history.

The state counsels said they were happy with the verdict and will appeal to a higher court if necessary, against Boro Mizan’s acquittal.

Defence lawyers said the witness testimonies and evidence were inconsistent, and they will definitely move to the higher courts challenging the verdict.

Inspector General of Police Dr Javed Patwary said the police was pleased with the sentencing, save for the acquittal of Boro Mizan. He said they will ask the prosecution to appeal against it.
Related:
Holey Artisan: 2019-08-11 5 ‘militants’ held in Dhaka
Holey Artisan: 2019-06-28 Bangladesh's mainstream pupils more radical than Islamic school graduates
Holey Artisan: 2019-06-04 With 300 militants out on bail, is Bangladesh safe?
Related:
Gulshan: 2019-12-04 Police suspect criminal gang behind Dua Mangi's abduction
Gulshan: 2019-11-13 ‘PSP man’ among five held for over 100 house robberies
Gulshan: 2019-10-10 Suspect allegedly involved in murder of Hamdard University student arrested
Related:
New JMB: 2019-11-07 Extremist outfit Allahr Dal banned in Bangladesh
New JMB: 2019-10-23 7 to die for rape, murder of Joypurhat housewife
New JMB: 2019-10-03 Arrested HujiB leader met Osama bin Laden
Related:
Jama''atul Mujahideen Bangladesh: 2017-12-14 Day 4: Port Authority bomber’s Ansarullah Bangla Team connection, appearance before judge
Jama''atul Mujahideen Bangladesh: 2017-03-20 5 killed in raid at Chittagong Neo JMB militant den
Jama''atul Mujahideen Bangladesh: 2016-08-02 Bangla:9 'militants' killed in Kalyanpur joint drive, 2 in custody
Link


Bangladesh
Police press charges against Faizul, five others over attack on Prof Zafar Iqbal
2018-07-27
[Dhaka Tribune] Police have pressed charges against six people, including the main accused Faizul Hasan Foyez, in a case over the attack on eminent writer Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal on the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in Sylhet.

Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) Assistant Commissioner (Prosecution) Amulya Kumar Chowdhury submitted the 353-page charge sheet to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Haridas Pal on Thursday afternoon, nearly five months after the attack.

Confirming the matter, Amulya said he submitted the charge sheet to court after Jalalabad police station OC Shafiqul Islam, also the case investigation officer, handed it over at noon.

“The court has taken the charge sheet into cognisance, but is yet to accept it or give any ruling,” he added.

The other five accused are Faizul's father Hafez Maulana Atiqur Rahman, mother Minara Begum, brother Md Enamul Hasan, uncle Md Fazlur Rahman and friend Md Sohag Mia, who police say had played roles – directly and indirectly – in the incident.

All six accused have been arrested and are now behind bars.

At least 60 people were also named as witnesses in the charge sheet.

On Wednesday, SMP’s Additional Commissioner Paritosh Ghosh also told reporters, based on photographs of the crime scene, CCTV camera footages, mobile phone call list and other evidences, they had confirmed that Faizul alone had planned and carried out the attack on Prof Iqbal to kill him.

In the afternoon of March 3, Faizul had swooped on the renowned academician and stabbed him with a knife during a program at SUST’s Mukta Mancha.

The madrasa student was, however, caught immediately by the students present there and handed over to police after a severe thrashing.

Faizul later confessed under Section 164 of the Penal Code that he had attacked the famous author as he considered Prof Zafar Iqbal, who also teaches at SUST's Computer Science and Engineering Department, an “atheist” and “enemy of Islam.”

Police said Faizul had planned to kill Prof Iqbal three to four months before the attack and had been looking for a chance.

The SUST authorities had filed the attempt to murder case with Jalalabad police a day after the attack.

After being stabbed on the back of his head, left arm and back, Zafar Iqbal was first admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, and later shifted to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

He made a full recovery having being treated there for over a week, and returned full-time to SUST on April 2.
Link


Bangladesh
2 suspected JMB members arrested near New Delhi
2018-07-25
[Dhaka Tribune] Two suspected members of Death Eater outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
The JMB is said to be the youth front of Al Mujahideen, the parent organization that began working toward establishing Bangladesh as an Islamic state in the mid 1990s, which remains obscure and probably defunct today. Other organizations, such as Jama'atul Jihad, JMB, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI), Hizbut Tawhid, Tawhidi Janata, Islami Jubo Shangha, Islami Shangha, Al Falah A'am Unnayan Shanstha and Shahadat-e al Hiqma are believed to be part of the Al Mujahideen network. The JMB at its peak was reported to contain at least 100,000 members, and an alleged 2,000-man suicide brigade, few of whom actually exploded. JMB allegedly received financial assistance from individual donors in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Reports have claimed that funding of JMB by international NGOs like Kuwait based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS) and Doulatul Kuwait, Saudi Arabia based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute and Rabita Al Alam Al Islami, Qatar Charitable Society and UAE-based Al Fuzaira and Khairul Ansar Al Khairia. The top leadership of JMB was captured in 2005 and hung in 2007, which pretty much shot their bolt.
(JMB) were tossed in the clink
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
from Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida area.

The duo- Bangladeshi nationals Musharraf aka Musa, and Rubel Ahmed- were arrested from the Surajpur cop shoppe area, on the outskirts of the New Delhi, during a joint operation by the state’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and the West Bengal police, reports India Today quoting senior Indian law enforcement official Ajay Pal Sharma.

The report does not mention when the two suspected bully boyz were arrested.

Musa and Rubel are being interrogated by officials of the UP ATS and intelligence department, Sharma said.

According to sources in Indian law enforcement, the two JMB members were planning to carry out a major Death Eater attack in the National Capital Region (comprised of National Capital Territory of Delhi and several surrounding districts from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan).

A source in the Indian intelligence department had received a tip-off that some JMB members were collecting funds for their outfit.

When contacted, police's Anti Terrorism Unit (ATU) chief Additional Inspector General Mohammad Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that they are yet to hear from Indian authorities regarding the matter.

The JMB, founded in 1998 by Sheikh Abdur Rahman, was banned in 2005 after setting off about 500 bombs simultaneously across Bangladesh.
Link


Bangladesh
CTTC hands over Faizul’s brother to Sylhet police
2018-03-10
[Dhaka Tribune] Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has handed over the brother of Foyzur Rahman Faizul, who attacked noted author Prof Zafar Iqbal at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) on March 3, to Jalalabad police station in Sylhet city.

Enamul Hasan was sent to Sylhet on Friday morning, said CTTC unit’s Deputy Commissioner Mohibul Islam Khan.

Jalalabad police OC Shafiqul Islam also said that they were expecting Enamul in their custody soon.

Enamul, who had fled their family home after Faizul carried out the attack, was arrested by CTTC unit officials in Gazipur on Thursday evening.

Police also seized a tablet, a mobile phone and a memory card from him at the time. These were previously used by Faizul, officials claimed.

After the news of the attack spread and Faizul was identified, all members of his family had run away from their house. However, his father Atiqur Rahman and mother Minara Begum surrendered at Jalalabad police station the next day.

Link


Bangladesh
Another militant den discovered in Comilla
2017-03-30
[Dhaka Tribune] Law enforcers on Wednesday discovered a den of Death Eaters at south Bagmara village in Kotbari of Comilla Sadar south upazila, while two other suspected Death Eater hideouts in Borohat and Nasirpur areas of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila had already been cordoned off the same day.

They have laid a siege to the suspected hideout, Superintendent of Police of Comilla Shah Abid Hossain told news hounds.

Preferring to be anonymous, an official of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the law enforcers discovered the den after gleaning information from Death Eater suspects who were recently nabbed
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
during their hunts for Death Eaters.

One or more turbans might be at the hideout, he suspected, adding that they were staying on the ground floor of the three-storey building.

"We have cordoned off the house and are suspecting that at least one Death Eater is inside, in possession of a large amount of explosives and weapons," Abid said.

According to police sources, the building that houses the hideout is owned by Delwar Hossain, a pickup-van driver by profession.

As Delwar, who had previously been in Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
for years, was not present there at the time, the police detained his brother Saddam Hossain for quizzing.

Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the congregants were being herded into the paddy wagon...
people have been evacuated from the house and other adjoining buildings as the police are mulling over a raid on the den.

A team of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) already started their journey from Chittagong to conduct an operation, Deputy Inspector General (Chittagong range) Md Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.

Law enforcement agencies have accelerated their anti-militancy drives across the country after they had busted several such hideouts in different areas of Chittagong and Sylhet in last the two weeks.

As Comilla City Corporation is slated to go to the polls on Thursday, the Election Commission has asked law enforcers not to conduct any operation at the hideout before the election ends.

Sources at the EC said any operation before or during the polls might create a panic among voters, hampering the election.

"Although it is a concern of law enforcement agencies, the chief election commissioner asked them to keep the area restricted and wait until the election is over," EC Secretary Muhammad Abdullah told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.

The police officials concerned informed him that they would not conduct any drive until the situation demanded, Abdullah added.

The secretary went on to say: "People’s safety obviously gets priority over anything else. But as everything still seems to be under control, drives can be conducted after the polls."
Link


Bangladesh
5 killed in raid at Chittagong Neo JMB militant den
2017-03-20
Law enforcers found the body of a child at “Neo JMB” hideout in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong this evening, raising death toll from the raid by joint forces to five.

Four bodies of suspected militants including a woman were recovered from the hideout in Premtala area earlier in the day, reports our Chittagong correspondent quoting police. The suspected four militants were killed in sporadic gunfight with the joint forces since the morning. Some lawmen were also injured at that time.

Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Meanwhile, 20 members of seven families, who were trapped inside the building during the overnight raid, were taken to safety before the final assault began around 6:00am this morning.

Four hours after the drive, Chittagong range Deputy Inspector General of Police Shafiqul Islam told the media that the drive codenamed “Assault 16” had ended and confirmed the death of four suspected militants.

Later, police found the child’s body lying inside the flat used as the den of the terrorist outfit, said Habibur Rahman, additional superintendent of police in Chittagong. The identity and age of the child could not be known immediately.

‘Neo JMB’

“Neo JMB”, as law enforcers call it, is an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Its coordinator Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury -- killed along with his two accomplices in an operation at a militant den in Narayanganj on August 27, 2016, -- was thought to be the Gulshan attack mastermind.

The “Neo JMB”, formed by leaders and operatives of mainstream JMB who did not accept the leadership of Saidur Rahman, follows the ideology of Islamic State (IS). Apart from Gulshan attack, the gang ensured ingredients for improvised grenades that were used in all attacks perpetrated by “Neo JMB” in recent years, police said.
Link


Bangladesh
Tamim Chowdhury featured in new IS publication
2016-10-05
[Dhaka Tribune] A new Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
publication has featured an article on the July 1 Gulshan cafe attack ostensibly written by Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, who was killed during a police operation in Narayanganj on August 27.

Interestingly, the byline of the article, published in the second issue of IS’ Rumiyah magazine, says: "Abu Dujanah al-Bangali (Tamim Chowdhury), Former Head of Military and Covert Operations of the Soldiers of Khilafah in Bengal."

Police on several occasions referred to Tamim as Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, before and after he was bumped off during the so-called Operation Hit Strong 27. Two other suspected Lions of Islam were killed in the drive.

The multilingual magazine released late Tuesday night also published an infographic of 24 out of 26 attacks the IS supporters have carried out in Bangladesh since September last year. The victims include foreigners, non-Moslem and non-Sunni preachers, law enforcers and a university professor.
A useful little backgrounder on Mr. Chowdhury can be seen at the link. His family lives in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Tamim is believed to be the criminal mastermind of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Gulshan on July 1 and the attack on police near Sholakia Eid congregation on July 8. At least 25 people, including foreigners, law enforcement personnel and civilians, were killed in the terrorist attacks.

On September 23, IS released its second Bangla video featuring as heroes the five Gulshan attackers ‐ Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel, Shafiqul Islam Uzzal and Meer Saameh Mubasser who were killed in a commando operation on July 2.

The Lions of Islam in the video, believed to be recorded sometime before the Gulshan attack, made statements justifying their stance, and criticising the democratic system and politicians. They also came down heavily on the Islamic scholars for resisting Moslems from joining the armed jihad of the Islamic State.

The home minister reacted: "I have said it before there is no organizational existence and leader of IS in Bangladesh. The video footage has been released as part of a conspiracy against Bangladesh."

The New JMB, which, according to police, works as the Islamic State affiliate in Bangladesh has lost 31 of its members in raids while two killed themselves since November last year.

Detectives claim that local Lions of Islam close to banned outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh formed the New JMB group to create anarchy and terrorise foreigners in the country. The IS aims at establishing Shariah law in the country and use Bangladesh as its base to launch attacks in Myanmar and India.

After Tamim’s death, counter-terrorism officials claimed that the strength of New JMB had almost waned. The detectives are now looking for the field-level coordinator, financiers and arms suppliers for the July 1 attack.

They said that Tamim had been assisted by a top JMB leader, Abul Kashem alias Boro Huzur. Known as a great religious preacher working at the Okharabari Madrasa of Dinajpur, Kashem mainly helped Tamim to reunite the JMB members.
Link


Bangladesh
Bodies of 13 militants still at DMCH mortuary
2016-09-06
[Dhaka Tribune] Bodies of 13 Lion of Islams, who were killed in Kalyanpur, Narayanganj and Mirpur raids, are still at the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH)

The bodies still remain at the mortuaries basically for two reasons--the DMP authorities are yet to receive reports of various tests carried out on the bodies and family members are yet to claim those, said Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media wing) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Talking with the Dhaka Tribune, the DMP official said: "The reports of various tests carried out on the bodies of the 13 snuffies have not yet been received. We will take further decision after getting the test reports.

"Moreover, no members from their families officially claimed the bodies. The authorities will finalise whether the bodies would be handed over to their families after receiving the test reports."

DMCH forensic department Assistant Professor Dr Sohel Mahmud said: "The bodies of 13 Lion of Islams, who were killed during police raids in Kalyanpur, Narayanganj and Mirpur, are still at our morgue.

"We have requested the DMP authorities to take necessary steps to take back the bodies of the snuffies as the mortuary’s normal activities are being hampered due to a dearth of space in it."

Of the 13 Lion of Islams, nine were killed during police raid in the capital’s Kalyanpur area on July 26.

Verifying their fingerprints with those in the Election Commission’s database, police identified eight of terrorists. They are‐Abdullah, Abu Hakim Nayeem, Taj-ul-Haque Rashiq, Atiquzzaman Khan, Shazad Rouf Arko, Md Motiar Rahman, Md Jubayer Hossain, Raihan Kabir.

The remaining four bodies are of snuffies who were killed in Narayanganj and Rupnagar raids.

Three Lion of Islams, including Tamim Chowdhury, the criminal mastermind of Gulshan attack, were killed in Narayanganj on August 27 while Tamim’s second-in-command Murad was killed at Rupnagar in Dhaka’s Mirpur area on September 2.

On the other hand, the bodies of five Gulshan attackers are still at the morgue of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka. According to police source, the fingerprints of Gulshan attackers have also been verified.

They have been identified as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Sabeh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Ujjal.

The body of chef Saiful Islam, who was first identified as one of the suspects, also remains at the CMH mortuary.

When contacted, OC (Investigation) of Gulshan cop shoppe Salauddin told the Dhaka Tribune: "The six bodies are still at the mortuary of the CMH as none from the families of the five snuffies claimed those.

"Only Saiful’s family verbally wanted to take his body, but they did not file any written application in this regard. We will help the family members if they want to take the body."
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