�JMB den� busted in capital

7 arrested; huge explosives seized

In a pre-dawn raid that lasted for about 8 hours and involved the evacuation of residents of a building, the Detective Branch (DB) of police busted a ‘secret-den’ of the banned militant Islamist outfit JMB in Mirpur and arrested seven people yesterday.
Three of the detainees are top members of the JMB (Jamaa’tul Mujahideen Bangladesh), claimed police.

A large quantity of explosives was also seized from separate apartments in the building, including hand grenades that were similar to those found unexploded after the Husseinin Dalan blasts in Lalbagh in last October, said police. A suicide vest was also seized.
 The police operation was carried out in two phases, with the DB police, led by its Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain, taking part in the first phase after receiving specific information that some JMB members were living in an apartment in a six-storied building at Block-A on Road-9 of Mirpur Section-1. The team went to the flat at around 3am and asked the residents to open the door. But the people inside refused to comply, said DB officials.

After judging the situation and risks, the team asked all other residents to evacuate the building and later broke into the flat, said Sanowar. The DB team detained three people from the apartment.
In the second phase of the operation, members of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), bomb disposal unit and a force from Shah Ali Police Station were called in to conduct a raid in an apartment in the same building.
During the raid, a number of explosions were carried out and locals said they heard at least 16 explosions and saw smoke billowing out of the apartment between 10am and 11am yesterday. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, militants in the apartment blasted several handmade grenades and tried to flee the scene, said police officials.
The law enforcers seized 15-20 hand grenades and bomb-making materials from the two apartments, said DB officials.
Talking to media, DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said a JMB man arrested on Wednesday night spilled the beans on his associates. Six persons aged between 20 and 35 years were later arrested from the two apartments of the building in Mirpur, he added.
“At least three of them are key JMB leaders. Identities of the rest are being verified,” he said.
The DB top official also said the hand grenades recovered from the spot were similar to those found unexploded after the Husseini Dalan blasts and those recovered from Kamrangirchar in the city.
Sanowar Hossain, chief of the Bomb Disposal Unit of police, said the explosives, including the grenades, seized yesterday were similar to those used in the Old Dhaka bombings in October this year. He also said the grenades were seized from two persons in one of the two apartments. The devices were stored all over the flat, he added. The identities of the arrestees are being verified, he added. All the detainees were taken to the DB headquarters for questioning.
Police defused the explosives at an empty plot near the building. Quoting the building’s owner, Sanowar Hossain said, “The arrestees who claimed to be college students, had rented the apartment six months ago. We suspect that they used the flats to make grenades.”
Locals said the owner of the house is Abul Hossain Bhuyiah, a businessman.

�JMB den� busted in capital

7 arrested; huge explosives seized

In a pre-dawn raid that lasted for about 8 hours and involved the evacuation of residents of a building, the Detective Branch (DB) of police busted a secret-den of the banned militant Islamist outfit JMB in Mirpur and arrested seven people yesterday. Three of the detainees are top members of the JMB (Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh), claimed police. A large quantity of explosives was also seized from separate apartments in the building, including hand grenades that were similar to those found unexploded after the Husseinin Dalan blasts in Lalbagh in last October, said police. A suicide vest was also seized. The police operation was carried out in two phases, with the DB police, led by its Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain, taking part in the first phase after receiving specific information that some JMB members were living in an apartment in a six-storied building at Block-A on Road-9 of Mirpur Section-1. The team went to the flat at around 3am and asked the residents to open the door. But the people inside refused to comply, said DB officials. After judging the situation and risks, the team asked all other residents to evacuate the building and later broke into the flat, said Sanowar. The DB team detained three people from the apartment. In the second phase of the operation, members of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), bomb disposal unit and a force from Shah Ali Police Station were called in to conduct a raid in an apartment in the same building. During the raid, a number of explosions were carried out and locals said they heard at least 16 explosions and saw smoke billowing out of the apartment between 10am and 11am yesterday. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, militants in the apartment blasted several handmade grenades and tried to flee the scene, said police officials. The law enforcers seized 15-20 hand grenades and bomb-making materials from the two apartments, said DB officials. Talking to media, DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said a JMB man arrested on Wednesday night spilled the beans on his associates. Six persons aged between 20 and 35 years were later arrested from the two apartments of the building in Mirpur, he added. At least three of them are key JMB leaders. Identities of the rest are being verified, he said. The DB top official also said the hand grenades recovered from the spot were similar to those found unexploded after the Husseini Dalan blasts and those recovered from Kamrangirchar in the city. Sanowar Hossain, chief of the Bomb Disposal Unit of police, said the explosives, including the grenades, seized yesterday were similar to those used in the Old Dhaka bombings in October this year. He also said the grenades were seized from two persons in one of the two apartments. The devices were stored all over the flat, he added. The identities of the arrestees are being verified, he added. All the detainees were taken to the DB headquarters for questioning. Police defused the explosives at an empty plot near the building. Quoting the buildings owner, Sanowar Hossain said, The arrestees who claimed to be college students, had rented the apartment six months ago. We suspect that they used the flats to make grenades. Locals said the owner of the house is Abul Hossain Bhuyiah, a businessman.