The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Anti-terrorist elite force-Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested at least 12 suspected Islamic militants, nine of them in connection with a plot to blow up ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a grenade attack three years ago, RAB officers said yesterday.

RAB officials recovered huge quantity of arms and ammunition from their possession. The arms included 16 Arges grenades, two Chinese rifles, huge number of bullets, about one and half maunds of explosives, one pistol and one revolver.

The nine arrested militant suspects, who belong to the Harkatul Jihad, and the cache of arms were shown at the news conference. The nine are

Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Abul Kalam Azad, Jahangir Alam, Abdul Quddus, Omar Faruk, Amirul Islam, Ali Ahmed, Mukaddes Billah and Baki Billah.

The arrests came after Mufti Abdul Hannan, the leader of the banned Islamic militant group Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami, confessed to the group's involvement in the August 21 (2004) grenade attack that killed at least 24 people, mostly Awami League activists, and injured hundreds others.

Earlier on October 24, Mufti Hannan and his three associates-Mofizur Rahman Ovi, Maulana Abu Sayeed and Mohammad Sharif alias Bipul-were taken on a 10-day remand for breaking the case in a belated move.

During interrogation, they were reported to have confessed to having been involved "directly and indirectly" in the grenade attack on the rally addressed by Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.

The former Prime Minister had narrowly escaped while at least 24 people, including party's Women Affairs Secretary Ivy Rahman, were killed in the attack.

Mufti Hannan, arrested on October 2 in 2005, is accused in a number of deadly blasts, including Ramna Batamul concert bombing and the grenade attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury.

The arrested who were on the run in different parts of the country nabbed in 24 hours to 10am Monday, following tips from the organisation's chief, Mufti Abdul Hanan, and three others under grilling on remand.

Acting over their confessional statements, a special team of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) conducted massive raid in Dhaka, Khulna, Magura, Kushtia, Jhenidah and Narsingdi and arrested the nine persons.

With these nine, 13 members of Harkatul Jihad have been held so far across the country.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested the militants in raids overnight said Colonel Meshkat, a Commanding Officer of the RAB.

"Their names cropped up during interrogation of Mufti Hannan. He admitted his connection to the attack and also named the persons involved in the attack," RAB Commander Abul Kalam Azad said.

"Grenades, rifles and arms and explosives were seized during the raid. The grenades are the same ones used in the attack on Sheikh Hasina," he said.

The arrest last year of the leader of the banned Islamic outfit injected fresh life into the probe.

In a separate raid in Faridpur, three suspected members of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were arrested from the court premises in the town yesterday.

Police said they arrested Asaduzzaman, 25, Aminur Rahman Sikdar, 22 and Sayedur Rahman, 24, following their suspicious movement at the court premises at noon.

Fourteen SIM cards, some Islamic books and audiocassettes were also recovered from their possession.

Police suspected that the three youths gathered there for committing crime.