Attacks on Shia people, foreigners deeply connected: Home minister

EU seeks thorough investigation into Old Dhaka bomb blasts

The bomb attacks at a Shia procession in the capital on Saturday that left one youth dead and over a hundred injured are deeply connected with the recent killings of two foreigners in Dhaka and Rangpur, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said yesterday. He also ruled out any existence of Islamic State (IS) militants in the country and said those making claims of IS involvement in these attacks have deep rooted motives.
The minister came up with the remarks two days after the attacks on a Shia gathering, the first such deadly attack on a gathering of the Shia community in the country. A teenage boy was killed and around 100 people were injured in the blasts that were carried out barely half an hour before the bringing out the traditional Tajia procession by the Shia Muslim community from their Hussaini Dalan headquarters in Old Dhaka.
“We reiterate our claim that there is no organisational presence of IS in the country. Our intelligence agencies have found no presence of the group. However, the IS group, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Islami Chattra Shibir all are inter-connected in some ways,” said the home minister at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs.“The news that IS has been claiming responsibility for each of the attacks might be an act of propaganda or may have other ill intentions. We are investigating the matter. Those who attacked the foreign nationals have already been identified and they would be arrested very soon,”

he added. He further said, “But this is not the first time that foreign sources have alleged IS activities in the country. But this might be the acts of other terrorist groups and our law enforcers are alert. It would become clear after a proper investigation and there might even be an international link behind the attacks, he added.  
Meanwhile, the police yesterday filed a case over the ‘hand grenade’ explosions on Saturday at the Shia gathering in the capital.
Sub-inspector Jalal Uddin of Chawkbazar Police Station filed the case against unidentified miscreants under the Anti Terrorism Act. The case was later shifted to the Detective Branch (DB) of Police.
According to Sanwar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner (Detective Branch) of the DMP, miscreants had thrown hand grenades at the Shia gathering from the graveyard at Hussaini Dalan.
Three persons were detained soon after the blast.
Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said the attack and the killing of an assistant sub-inspector at Gabtoli bus terminal are linked. A suspect was arrested from the spot after the policeman’s killing.
He also said law enforcers had recovered improvised bombs and explosives from Kamrangirchar on Friday. The explosives were similar to those used in the attack on the Shia gathering, he added.
Three improvised explosive devices were detonated at the Shia gathering that was part of an Ashura procession to commemorate the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain at Karbala on the banks of the Forat River.
Police said they are hopeful of getting some leads from the footage of 32 surveillance cameras installed in the area. Meanwhile, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon yesterday condemned the bomb attack on the Shia community gathering and called for a thorough investigation into the incident. In a statement, Ambassador Mayaudon urged all relevant official authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. He conveyed his condolences to the family of the deceased and expressed sympathy to all victims.

 

 

 

 

Attacks on Shia people, foreigners deeply connected: Home minister

EU seeks thorough investigation into Old Dhaka bomb blasts

The bomb attacks at a Shia procession in the capital on Saturday that left one youth dead and over a hundred injured are deeply connected with the recent killings of two foreigners in Dhaka and Rangpur, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said yesterday. He also ruled out any existence of Islamic State (IS) militants in the country and said those making claims of IS involvement in these attacks have deep rooted motives. The minister came up with the remarks two days after the attacks on a Shia gathering, the first such deadly attack on a gathering of the Shia community in the country. A teenage boy was killed and around 100 people were injured in the blasts that were carried out barely half an hour before the bringing out the traditional Tajia procession by the Shia Muslim community from their Hussaini Dalan headquarters in Old Dhaka. We reiterate our claim that there is no organisational presence of IS in the country. Our intelligence agencies have found no presence of the group. However, the IS group, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Islami Chattra Shibir all are inter-connected in some ways, said the home minister at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs.The news that IS has been claiming responsibility for each of the attacks might be an act of propaganda or may have other ill intentions. We are investigating the matter. Those who attacked the foreign nationals have already been identified and they would be arrested very soon, he added. He further said, But this is not the first time that foreign sources have alleged IS activities in the country. But this might be the acts of other terrorist groups and our law enforcers are alert. It would become clear after a proper investigation and there might even be an international link behind the attacks, he added. Meanwhile, the police yesterday filed a case over the hand grenade explosions on Saturday at the Shia gathering in the capital. Sub-inspector Jalal Uddin of Chawkbazar Police Station filed the case against unidentified miscreants under the Anti Terrorism Act. The case was later shifted to the Detective Branch (DB) of Police. According to Sanwar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner (Detective Branch) of the DMP, miscreants had thrown hand grenades at the Shia gathering from the graveyard at Hussaini Dalan. Three persons were detained soon after the blast. Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said the attack and the killing of an assistant sub-inspector at Gabtoli bus terminal are linked. A suspect was arrested from the spot after the policemans killing. He also said law enforcers had recovered improvised bombs and explosives from Kamrangirchar on Friday. The explosives were similar to those used in the attack on the Shia gathering, he added. Three improvised explosive devices were detonated at the Shia gathering that was part of an Ashura procession to commemorate the death of Prophet Muhammads grandson Imam Hussain at Karbala on the banks of the Forat River. Police said they are hopeful of getting some leads from the footage of 32 surveillance cameras installed in the area. Meanwhile, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon yesterday condemned the bomb attack on the Shia community gathering and called for a thorough investigation into the incident. In a statement, Ambassador Mayaudon urged all relevant official authorities to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. He conveyed his condolences to the family of the deceased and expressed sympathy to all victims.