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Bangladesh

Plot hatched in Hawa Bhaban meetings

2011-04-08

[Bangla Daily Star] Mufti Hannan in a confessional statement disclosed the involvement of Hawa Bhaban and some former BNP ministers and intelligence officials in the August 21, 2004, grenade attack on an Awami League rally. Harkat-ul Jihad (HuJI Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. ) leader Mufti Mohammad Abdul Hannan made the fresh confessional statement before a Dhaka court yesterday about the attack that left Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, dead along with 23 others and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina maimed. At least 300 others were also injured. On October 27, 2009, The Daily Star published an investigative report on the attack. The report disclosed the chilling conspiracy that was hatched in Hawa Bhaban. Hannan, prime accused in the case, on November 1, 2007, made a confessional statement but Criminal Investigation Department moved for a new confessional statement following revaluations of more information through investigation. First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded yesterday's statement for over five hours from 4:00pm. Sources in the CID said in the first confessional statement Hannan admitted carrying out the attack but in the new statement he said the attack was planned in meetings held at the Hawa Bhaban. Hawa Bhaban was widely regarded as the alternative powerhouse of the then BNP-led coalition government. Hannan said the meetings were held in presence of some then BNP ministers and businessmen close to BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami top brass. However, The emphatic However... the CID sources declined to disclose names of the people Hannan mentioned. Hannan said runaway Maulana Tajuddin, brother of jugged former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, had coordinated the attackers and the people of different agencies who aided them. In the first confessional statement, Hannan said they had smuggled in the grenades from Afghanistan, where Hannan had joined the Mujahideens to fight against the Soviets in the 1980s. Now he says that the grenades came from Pakistain via Chittagong. In the first statement, Hannan said they planned the attack in a Badda house in the capital a few days ahead. He had said around 12 hard boyz carried out the attack. He had said they wanted to kill Sheikh Hasina because she had slapped a ban on religious edict when she was in power, the sources added. CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, investigation officer of the case, declined to make any comment on the new statement of Hannan. So far, 12 accused have given confessional statements admitting their involvement in the attack. They are Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Jahangir Alam, Islamic Democratic Party leader Sheikh Abdus Salam, Pakistain based LeT leader Abdul Majid alias Yusuf Butt, LeT leader Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad and Abdur Rouf. The eight absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman. On June 11, 2008, the CID submitted a charge sheet accusing 22 people, including top HuJI leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu. But the court asked police for further investigation into the attack to find out the sources of the grenades used in the attack, the suppliers of the grenades and also to unfold the mystery behind defusing the unwent kaboom! grenades soon after recovery. During the rule of BNP-led coalition government, the then Sherlocks allegedly staged a drama to mislead the investigation and protect the real culprits.

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Bangladesh

Cops hunt for 40 Huji operatives

2010-01-20

[Bangla Daily Star] Around 40 operatives of outlawed Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) including convicted and charge-sheeted accused of different bomb attack cases are still on the run, posing a threat to the country. Some of the absconding militants are holding secret meetings and were even training up members at a secluded place in Mohammadpur in the capital a few months ago. However, the militants cancelled the training and abandoned the area after different intelligence and law-enforcement agencies started a hunt for them months after the present government assumed power, intelligence and Huji sources say. The absconding Huji leaders include some of the top brasses like Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Sheikh Farid, Maulana Abu Bakar, Abdul Hannan Sabbir, Maulana Liton, Abdul Hye, Abu Jehad, Abu Musa, Abdullah, Sagir Bin Emdad, Maulana Monir, Maulana Masum and Golam Mostafa. Most of them have training on sophisticated weapons and grenades. Sources in the law-enforcement agencies believe the militants responsible for deadly bomb and grenade attacks and death of over 90 people since 1999 are still a threat. However, top officials from Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Detective Branch (DB) say since the absconding militants are on the run, possibility of any attack by them is very slim. "There is little chance of any attack by Huji men since we are always after them," Rab Director General Hassan Mahmood Khandkar told The Daily Star recently. DB Deputy Commissioner Monirul Islam also expressed similar view on the issue. The Rab DG said they have lists of the members of not only Huji but also other militant outfits including banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and are always after them. Some Afghan war veterans launched the Bangladesh chapter of Huji on April 30, 1992 with an aim to establish Islamic rule in the country. Since then it spread its tentacles across the country until 1996 with the very knowledge of the then government. After the political changeover in 2001 Huji again started its activities which were an open secret to the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government. Probes into the August 21 attempt on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's [then main opposition leader] life have already revealed involvement of former deputy minister of BNP government Abdus Salam Pintu and a number of Huji leaders. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is now carrying out further investigation into the cases and has already arrested BNP leader and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and Huji founder Sheikh Abdus Salam. The sources say an influential intelligence agency helped Maulana Tajuddin, who supplied grenades for the August 21 attacks, flee the country. The sources add the agency in October 2004 also helped Hafez Jahangir Badar flee to Saudi Arabia where he became a major source of Huji funding later. Some Huji kingpins including the outfit's founders Sheikh Abdus Salam and Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid even used to meet a section of officials of that intelligence agency during the BNP-Jamaat rule and even during the immediate past caretaker rule, say the sources. Salam, arrested in November last year in connection with the August 21 carnage, claimed he had maintained connection with the agency and tried to form Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) with its consent during the caretaker regime. Some 475 Afghan war veterans joined the IDP, sources say. The attacks by Huji include the August 21 carnage in 2004, Ramna Batamul blast in 2001, Udichi blast in 1999, Narayanganj Awami League office blast in 2001, CPB rally blast at Paltan Maidan in 2001, and attempt on the then British high commissioner in 2004. The sources say intelligence agencies launched raids on Huji hideouts to trap militant leaders including Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid in vain in recent months. Two of the Huji absconders -- Anisul Mursalin and Muhibul Mottakin -- are now in Tihar Jail in India after they were arrested by the Indian security forces in 2006.

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Bangladesh

Huji founder sings

2009-12-04

[Bangla Daily Star] Founder of banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (Huji) Sheikh Abdus Salam yesterday confessed to his involvement in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally. In a statement given to a Dhaka court, Salam also disclosed the names of a number of top administrative officials and politicians as involved in the gruesome attack. After his statement was recorded by Metropolitan Magistrate Moazzem Hossain, Salam, also chief of Islamic Democratic Party, was sent to jail. Another metropolitan magistrate's court yesterday sent Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Abdul Majid Butt alias Abu Yusuf Butt on a two-day fresh remand. In his confessional statement, which came after 15 days' remand by the Criminal Investigation Department in phases, Salam narrated the planning and implementation of the grenade attack that left 24 persons killed and 300 injured. CID's Additional Superintendent of Police Abdul Kahar Akand, who is the investigation officer of the case, told The Daily Star that of the accused Salam gave the first confessional statement. CID and court sources said Salam was produced at the court around 2:00pm and Magistrate Moazzem Hossain recorded his statement for six hours. Salam was arrested on November 2 for suspected links with the August 21 incident. According to sources, the Huji founder narrated the roles of a few top political leaders and influential administrative officials in the attempt to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the opposition leader in parliament at that time when the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance was in power. In his statement, Salam admitted that he was present at a meeting held at the Dhanmondi residence of detained former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu. Pintu's fugitive brother and LeT leader Maulana Tajuddin, detained former BNP state minister Lutfozzaman Babar, detained Huji chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and other influential persons were also present at the meeting, Salam said. He said he returned to Bangladesh after the end of Afghan war against erstwhile Soviet Union and formed Huji along with other veterans of the war. He confessed to having trained many youths, mainly madrasa students, in operating firearms and bombs. Apart from Bangladeshis, most of their recruits came from the Pakistan-administered Kashmir, he said. They had also mobilised funds, arms and ammunition for insurgents in Kashmir of India. Earlier, CID investigator Abdul Kahar Akand told the court that Pintu and Babar had assisted Huji in its attempt to kill Hasina at the rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. He said Huji had also planned to kill Hasina and some of her party colleagues during the Awami League's 1996-2001 tenure as it considered the AL government an obstacle to its activities like recruiting and training operatives, and procuring firearms for militants in India and Afghanistan. Akand said Babar and Pintu had directly helped Tajuddin, who supplied the grenades for the August 21 attack, flee the country and take shelter in Pakistan. The CID pressed charges against Pintu, his brother and 20 others including Huji boss Mufti Hannan during the last caretaker government's rule. It arrested Babar after a court on August 3 ordered further investigation into the grenade attack to find out the patrons of the attackers and suppliers of the grenades. The investigators are now working to hunt down the other charge-sheeted accused. Abu Yusuf Butt was placed on remand by Metropolitan Magistrate Rashed Kabir after the CID produced him before the court with a prayer for three days' fresh remand. He had been remanded for 12 days on different terms in the case. Earlier, the CID said Yusuf had come to Bangladesh years ago with the help of LeT leader Maulana Tajuddin and adopted the name Abdul Majid to stay in the country and carry out militant activities.

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Bangladesh

Grenades delivered from Pintu's house

2009-10-09

[Bangla Daily Star] Detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu admitted that the Arges grenades used in the August 21 blast were delivered from his Dhanmondi government residence. Additional Superintendent of CID and investigation officer (IO) of the case Abdul Kahar Akond said this in his forwarding report yesterday. But he did not mention who delivered those grenades from the BNP leader's residence and to whom they were handed over. The report also said Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) members held a meeting at his (Pintu) residence before blasting grenades on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004 that left 23 people dead and a number of people injured. The BNP leader during the last three days' remand admitted that his brother Maulana Tajuddin, a Huji member, had supplied the grenades used in the attack, the IO said. IO Akond added Pintu needs to be remanded to identify those who had supplied the Arges grenades to the Huji members. CID produced Pintu and Huji member Maulana Abu Taher before court on completion of their three-day remand. They sought further seven-day remand only to interrogate Pintu. But Metropolitan Magistrate Syeda Minhaz Um Munira fixed October 11 for hearing on the remand prayer, as the prosecution failed to place case diary yesterday. The court also ordered to send the two arrestees to the Dhaka Central Jail and directed the jail authorities to produce Pintu before the court on scheduled date. On August 3, a Dhaka court ordered further investigation into the August 21 attack stating the probe conducted earlier could not identify the collectors and suppliers of the grenades. The CID, which misdirected the investigation during BNP-led government, finally pressed charges in June last year accusing Pintu and 21 Huji members including its top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan. The eight absconding accused in the case are Pintu's brothers Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.

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Bangladesh

HUJI hearing adjourned until April 7

2009-04-03

[Bangla Daily Star] A Dhaka court adjourned the hearing of the August 21 grenade attack case till April 7, as 14 Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) men including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan were not produced before it yesterday. Judge Mohammad Masdar Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 passed the order after prosecution lawyers told the court about non-production of the accused. Nevertheless, the lawyers did not mention any reason behind it. The grenade attack was carried out on an Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004. In the attack, 23 people including Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, were killed and a large number of people were injured. Meanwhile, 23 prosecution witnesses had given their statements before the court and they were cross-examined by defence lawyers. The prime accused of this case, former deputy minister and BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, Mufti Hannan and 12 others, are now in jail custody. Eight others, including Pintu's younger brother Maulana Tajuddin have been absconding since the cases were filed. On June 11 last year, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) pressed charges against Pintu, Hannan and 20 others for carrying out the grenade attacks on the rally.

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Bangladesh

Charge sheets in 2 cases likely tomorrow

2008-11-29

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is likely to submit tomorrow the charge sheets of the two cases connected with the bomb attacks at Ramna Batamul accusing 14 leaders and activists of Harkatul Jihad (Huji). CID Chief Additional Inspector General Jabed Patwari Thursday said, "All formalities have been completed and we are prepared to submit the charge sheets on Sunday." The home ministry has given the CID green signal for submitting the charge sheets, he told The Daily Star in reply to a question. The ministry is aware of the progress of investigation as the cases are under the supervision of its monitoring cell, he added. CID sources said on public prosecutor's suggestion the investigation officer collected video footage of the incident on April 14, 2001, which killed 10 persons and injured a number of others. Investigation officer CID Inspector Abu Hena Mohammad Yusuf declined to make any comment. But the CID sources confirmed that two charge sheets have been readied: the charge sheet for the murder case contains over 650 pages and that for the case filed under the Explosives Act has about 550 pages. They said 24 Huji men carried out the attacks but 14 have been named in the charge sheets as investigators could not collect details of the rest. They, however, identified one as Suman who died in the blast. The accused Huji men are Mufti Hannan, Mufti Abdur Rouf, Hafez Maulana Abu Taher, Arif Hasan alias Suman, Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel, Sheikh Farid alias Rahmat Ullah alias Shawkat Osman, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Hafez Maulana Yiahia, Mufti Abdul Hai alias Abu Naim, Maulana Tajuddin, Jahangir Badar, Abdul Hannan, Hafez Abu Bakkar and Maulana Akbar Hossain. CID sources said they so far arrested 25 suspects. Of them Mufti Hannan, Mamun-ur-Rashid, Mozahar Naim Hossain alias Mahmud, Habibullah Mizan, Badrul Alam Mizan, Hafiz Syed Nadim Sharif, Oliar Rahman, Mahmudur Rahman Babu, Arif Hasan Suman, Oli Ullah, Abdul Latif and Abdur Rouf are now in jail. Twelve others--Rezaul Islam, Matiur Rahman, Mostafizur Rahman, Habibur Rahman, Abdul Awal, Enayet Ullah, Abdullah Al Mamun, Ibrahim Khalil, Maulana Akbar Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, Yasin and Oliar Rahman--are on bail while the other--Mizanur Rahman--has been absconding since obtaining bail. The arrested also face charges of other bomb attacks, including the August 21 attack on an Awami League rally. Maulana Akbar Hossain, Mufti Hannan and Jewel confessed before the court their involvement in the attacks. Investigation sources said detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu's brother fugitive Maulana Tajuddin, who is an accused in the August 21 grenade attack case also, supplied the bombs for the attacks. Pintu is also an accused in the August 21 bomb attack case.

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Bangladesh

Aug 21 case goes to trial

2008-10-30

A Dhaka court yesterday finally framed charges against detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu, Harkatul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and 20 others in two cases filed for grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally in August 2004. Judge Mohammad Masdar Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 also rejected the discharge petitions of Pintu, Hannan and 12 others in jail custody. The court fixed November 5 for trial of the cases--one for murder and another for bomb blast--and summoned the complainant to appear before it on that date. The grenade attacks on the AL rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004 left 24 people including Ivy Rahman, wife of acting AL President Zillur Rahman, killed and 200 others including AL chief Sheikh Hasina injured. Charges were framed in the cases after hearing had to be adjourned on nine consecutive dates following tie petitions from both the prosecution and defence. Both the cases were earlier shifted to the tribunal for quick disposal following a home ministry order. In the murder case, charges were framed against all the 22 accused under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (grievous hurt), 324 (causing hurt), 109 (abetment), 34 (criminal liability), 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the Penal Code. Bomb blast charges were framed against them under sections 3, 4 and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act. The court charged Pintu also with approving the plan of the grenade attack prepared by Hannan and his accomplices. The former BNP lawmaker was also charged with assisting the Huji men with finances and administrative help and abetting them for killing and injuring the victims. Pintu, Hannan and 12 others, who are now in jail custody, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after the charges were read out to them. Eight accused have been absconding. The 12 accused in jail are Hannan's brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Maulana Abu Taher, Shahadatullah Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan Sumon, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan. The eight absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman. Charges were framed against them in absentia and their trial will be continued in their absence. During the investigation of the cases, Hannan, Bipul, Ovi, Abu Sayeed, Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Jahangir and Sabuj gave statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) confessing their involvement in the grenade attack. Special Public Prosecutor Firoz Kamrul Hassan and advocates Syed Rezaur Rahman, M Sajwar Hossain and Saharar Khatun appeared for the state during yesterday's hearing. THE CASE The police filed the two cases with Motijheel Police Station a day after the grenade attack. On June 5 last year, Badar Aziz Uddin of Cox's Bazar filed another case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka, charging former premier Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and 25 others with murder. However, the investigation officer of the case, Criminal Investigation Department Assistant Superintendent Fazlul Kabir, did not find any links of them to the incident. On June 11 this year, the investigation officer of the two cases submitted the charge sheets, accusing the 22 persons in each case. The charge sheets contain 42 pages each while the case dockets have more than 3,000 pages. A total of 408 persons, including Hasina and other top AL leaders, have been made prosecution witnesses in the cases. Besides, 69 types of evidence including Hasina's sports utility vehicle, the truck used as the makeshift podium at the rally, grenade splinters and blood stained clothes were submitted.

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Bangladesh

2 HUJI cases shifted to Speedy Trial Tribunal

2008-09-05

The two cases filed in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League (AL) rally in 2004 were transferred yesterday to a Speedy Trial Tribunal of Dhaka for quick disposal. The cases were filed for the grenade attacks on an the rally on Bangabandhu Avenue that left 23 people dead and around 200 others injured. The murder case is now pending with the Court of Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge and the grenade attack case with the Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka. Following an order signed on August 26 by the home ministry, Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court transferred the cases to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 where Mohammad Masdar Hossain is the conducting judge. Earlier on August 31, the conducting judge fixed September 8 for hearing on charge framing against 22 accused including detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu and Harkatul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan in the grenade attack case. On the other hand, another Dhaka court the same day directed eight absconding Huji members including brothers of Pintu to appear before the court by September 21. Of the accused, Pintu, Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Maulana Abu Taher, Shahadatullah Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan Sumon, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan were earlier arrested and are now in jail custody. Pintu's brother Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Liton, and Anisul Mursalin, Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman have been absconding since the cases were filed. Eight of the arrestees -- Hannan, Bipul, Ovi, Abu Sayeed, Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Jahangir and Sabuj -- gave statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code confessing their involvement in the incident. On June 11 this year, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Assistant Superintendent Fazlul Kabir, also investigation officer (IO) of the cases, submitted the charge sheets to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka, showing 412 people as prosecution witnesses. A day after the grenade attack, the police filed two cases -- one for murder and another under the Explosive Substances Act -- with Motijheel Police Station.

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Bangladesh

Court raps cops for failure to arrest Huji men

2008-07-25

A Dhaka court yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over negligence in duties by police personnel in executing arrest warrants against seven absconding Harkatul Jihad (Huji) members accused in the August 21 grenade attack case. Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque asked the Public Prosecutor (PP) to take actions against the policemen who failed to comply with the court order. The court said it had issued arrest warrants against the absconding accused on June 23 and directed the authorities concerned to send copies of the arrest warrants to their addresses the same day. But the officers-in-charge (OC) of different police stations, who had been asked to return reports on arrest warrants to the court by yesterday, did not comply with the court order. The court also said the police submitted the charge sheet of the case after four years of the grenade attacks and have been trying to delay trial. Only Barisal Kotwali police submitted a report on the arrest warrant against Abu Bakar alias Hafez Selim mentioning that they could not arrest him. Meantime, the same court rejected the bail petitions of detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and three Huji members, Arif Hasan Sumon, Jahangir Alam and Shahadat Ullah Jewel. Huji Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and Sumon submitted petitions for retraction of their confessional statements saying that they were forced to give the statements. The court fixed August 10 for next hearing of the case and directed the OC of different police stations to submit reports on arrest warrants against the seven absconding accused on the scheduled date. The prosecution told the judge that they would try to make sure that police submit the reports in due time. Moving the bail petitions, the lawyers told the court that their clients were implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass them. The prosecution said the petitions should be rejected as they had earlier confessed to their involvement in the incident. The case was filed for carrying out grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally on August 21, 2004 that left 23 people dead and around 200 injured. Detained former lawmaker Pintu and other accused, who are in jail custody now, were produced before the court. The seven absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.

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Bangladesh

Arrest warrant issued against 8 Huji fugitives

2008-06-24

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against eight absconding Harkatul Jihad (Huji) members including Maulana Tajuddin, brother of detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu, in the August 21 grenade attack case. Metropolitan Sessions Court Judge Mohammad Azizuz Haque accepted the charge sheet of the case and took the charges into cognisance for trial after examining all relevant documents. The court directed the authorities concerned to send copies of the arrest warrants to the addresses of the absconding accused. It also fixed July 24 for returning the arrest warrants to the court. Assistant superintendent of police of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Fazlul Kabir, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, was present at the court. The court on June 18 found flaws in the investigation of the case and asked the investigation officer (IO) to appear before the court yesterday and give explanation. The court also asked the IO to explain why he prayed for discharging four accused --Omar Faruk, Ferdous, Shuvo and Babu -- although the charges brought against them were found to be true. IO Fazlul Kabir told the court that he found involvement of the four with the grenade attacks on an Awami League rally, but he could not verify their real names and addresses. He said if he finds out their real names and addresses, he will submit a supplementary charge sheet against them. So, he prayed for dropping the charges against the four, the IO added. Earlier on June 11, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Enamul Haque accepted the charge sheet of the case against the 22 accused, including detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, in the second case filed in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on AL rally. The seven other absconding accused are Pintu's another brother Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman. The IO on June 11 submitted the charge sheets of the cases against the accused to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court showing 408 people as prosecution witnesses. The accused who are behind bars now are Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Maulana Abu Taher, Shahadatullah Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Abdus Salam Pintu, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan Sumon, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan. Eight of the arrestees -- Hannan, Bipul, Ovi, Abu Sayeed, Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Jahangir and Sabuj -- gave statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code admitting to their involvement with the incident. Police filed two cases with the Motijheel Police Station a day after 23 people were killed in a grenade attack on the Awami League rally on August 21, 2004. One case was filed on charges of murder while the other was filed under the Explosive Substances Act. Badar Aziz Uddin of Cox's Bazar filed another case with the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on June 5 last year against former premier Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman, Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and 25 others on charges of murder. However, IO Fazlul Kabir did not find their involvement with the incident. The IO of the cases filed by the police submitted the charge sheets, accusing 22 people in each of the two cases. He prayed for dropping the charges against 30 other accused held in connection with the grenade attack, as their involvement with the incident was not found

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Bangladesh

Sumon carried bombs along with 3 other Huji men

2008-05-06

Detained Harkatul Jihad (Huji) leader Arif Hasan Sumon yesterday confessed to a court that he along with three other Huji members took four bombs to the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at Ramna Batamul on April 14, 2001 and detonated them remotely. After his five-day remand in two phases under Criminal Investigation Department's (CID) custody, he gave the confessional statement before Metropolitan Magistrate Waliul Islam between 2:30pm and 5:30pm yesterday. In the statement, he said he and three other Huji activists--Jewel, Sujan and Jony-- carried out the bomb attack at Ramna Batamul. He said three of the four bombs kept in a food containers exploded. The police later recovered the unexploded bomb. Sujan died in the blast since he failed to move away before the bombs were detonated. Jony had pressed the button of the remote. Sujan died in the blast since he failed to move away before the bombs were detonated, CID sources said quoting Sumon's statement. A CID source said, "In the two-page statement, Sumon said Jony had pressed the button of the remote." Sumon in the statement said Huji leaders Mufti Hannan, Abu Taher, Maulana Tajuddin and Abdur Rouf planned the attack and were present near Ramna Batamul when the bombs were detonated. Sumon also disclosed that they had visited the spot a day before the attack. Sumon is also an accused in a case filed in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami league rally on Bangabandhu Avenue. Earlier, detained Huji boss Mufti Hannan in his confessional statement said Sumon carried the bombs to Ramna Batamul.

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Bangladesh

Aug 21 attack was aimed at killing Hasina

2008-04-26

Harkat ul Jihad (Huji) leader Arif Hasan Sumon in his confessional statement yesterday said that they made the grenade attack on the Awami League rally on August 21 in 2004 for killing Awami League president Sheikh Hasina. But the attempt failed because of too much hurry, he said before a magistrate confessing to his involvement in the grenade attack that killed 24 people and injured 300 others. Huji leader Sumon, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on April 12 from his Mohammadpur residence, gave the confessional statement on the 12th day of his remand in phases. CID assistant superintendent of police Fazlul Kabir produced Suman before the court at noon where he gave the confessional statement before Chief Metropolitan magistrate Ismat Ara for about three hours. According to the court sources, Suman disclosed that he threw two grenades and one of it exploded. At least 12 people took part in the attack and after the incident, he left the scene by a bus. As their mission failed, Huji boss Mufti Hannan rebuked them for it, he added. Huji leader Suman also admitted that he had planted a bomb at the Ramna Batamul as part of their 'test case'. According to CID sources, before his arrest, he had planned to flee to South Africa where one of the masterminds of the attack Maulana Tajuddin is believed to be hiding. Checking two passports of Sumon, investigators found that he recently obtained visas for South Africa and Zimbabwe.

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