The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Two more leaders of banned Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Isam (HUJI) and also the suspects of the August 21 grenade attack who were arrested from the city's Mohammadpur area were taken on a five-day remand yesterday.

Mohammadpur police said that they were arrested from a mess house in connection with the August 21 grenade attack at the Awami League rally in 2004 that killed at least 24 AL leaders and activists, including Ivy Rahman, and injured over 200 others. They were identified as HUJI leaders Maulana Mohammad Manir Hossain, and Maulana Mohammad Idris.

According to police, they produced them before the court in the afternoon seeking remand and the court granted the prayer.

Sources said they were the very close allies of HIJU chief Maulana Mufti Hannan, who was awarded life imprisonment on charge of an attempt to kill AL president Sheikh Hasina in Kotalipara in 2000.

Besides, Maulana Idris is the brother-in-law of Maulana Abu Taher, a senior leader of the HUJI, and Manir is a relative of Idris.

Mohammadpur thana officer-in-charge (OC) Shibli Noman said they arrested Idris and Manir following the confessions of detained HUJI leaders Mufti Hannan and Taher.

He said during the CID interrogation, the HUJI leaders admitted that they had made the attacks on the AL rally at Bangabandhu Avenue to kill Hasina.

"The arrested HUJI leaders are involved in all the grenade-bomb attacks in the country, including at CPB rally, Ramna Batamul on Pohela Boishakh and countrywide series bomb attack on August 17 in 2005", the OC said.

According to sources, the CID is also trying to bring back some other HUJI leaders from India.