Bangladesh on high alert fearing fresh terror attack

Intelligence agencies are apprehending fresh terror attacks in the country at key point installations or crowded places like super markets, malls and public gatherings. Taking the threat seriously, the Police Headquarters have issued high alert across the country and brought all the important establishments under additional security arrangements.

Top officials of Police, RAB and other intelligence agencies, including National Security Intelligence [NSI] discussed the issue in a meeting at the Police Headquarters. The intelligence officials said the militants could launch attacks at railway stations, launch and bus terminals before and after Eid. Especially, a twitter message has drawn attention of security officials where one Kamil Ahmed on July 4 posted: ‘next attack Jamuna Future Park, mission July 20.’ It has gone viral on social media networks, including facebook.

Besides, the police have also warned all cabinet members about possible extremist attacks on them in the wake of the recent attacks on Dhaka and Kishoreganj that rocked the country. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner in a text message to all ministers saying the police had intelligence reports that extremist groups might attack any minister at any time and therefore they should remain careful. Talking to New Age, several ministers on Monday confirmed that they received the message.

Meanwhile, the Australian government on Monday raised the travel alert for its nationals from level 2 (exercise high degree of caution) to level 3 (reconsider your need to travel), citing it had “reliable information that militants may be planning to target Western interests in Bangladesh”. It was also for “an increase in terrorist attacks, including against Westerners”, says an advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Most western and major Asian countries, including the US, UK, Japan and South Korea, have issued similar travel warnings to their citizens.

Amid concerns over the rising threat of militancy, unidentified assailants attacked a Baul Akhra in a remote Chuadanga village early last week, leaving four Bauls, including two women, injured. Of the injured, Abdur Rahim, 65, Rashida Khatun, 60, and Bulu Begum, 50, were badly hacked. Condition of the other, Bakso Mondol, 50, could not be known.  All of them are followers of Lalon Fakir (1774-1890), a mystic bard who sang for secularism and humanism throughout his life. Although Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bangladesh is considerable.

Meanwhile, four Hindu priests of different temples in the district received death threats through letters sent by unknown miscreants last Sunday night and Monday morning. Masumur Rahman Biswas, OC of Sadar Police Station, said cases were lodged with Sadar Police Station. Narendranath Roy, president of Palpara Durga-Kali Temple in the town, said Ruhi Das, priest of the temple, found a letter with death threat on the floor on Sunday night. The letter reads: “You could not recognise us, we are in Pirojpur. You Hindus, we’ll kill you one after another.” The priests are Bijoy Chakraborty from Rangpur, and Ruhidas Pal and Salil Mukherjee Sibu from Pirojpur. Christian missionary schools and others run by religious minority groups have reportedly received multiple threats from terrorists. Such threats have caused panic amongst teachers, students and guardians of a school in the north-western Kushtia town.

On Monday, miscreants have threatened to blow up the UNO office, police station, two Awami League leaders’ houses and all the mosques in Nakla upazila in Sherpur by hurling grenades. The threat was given in a letter to Nokla Awami League Deputy Press Secretary Anil Kumar Roy on behalf of IS and its associates around 9pm.

In this situation, the government has taken various initiatives to thwart further terror attacks following reports of more possible attacks. Members of all law enforcement and intelligence agencies are on high alert. Holidays and leave of police personnel have been cancelled. Apart from strengthening security measures, the government has made moves to build social resistance against militant activities.

Besides, an 11-hour joint drive carried out by about 450 law enforcers (Police, RAB and BGB) to root out militant dens in 10 remote char (shoal) areas of Bogra ended with the recovery of nine Jihadi books, six sharp weapons, a coil of wire and five empty boxes of SMG magazines on Monday. Such joint drives are still going on in different parts of the country against terror threat.

The Jihadis attacked the Gulshan Café were graduates from Dhaka’s leading private university, an 18-year-old student from an elite school and the son of a ruling party official. As the Islamist radicals focus their recruitment efforts on disenfranchised relatively affluent middle class youth, government efforts to eradicate extremism have become more complicated. “They are all highly educated young men and from well-off families,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the media. Asked why they became jihadists, Khan said: “It has become a fashion.” While the government continued to deny IS presence in the country, the group claimed the attack and its associated news agency, Amaq, posted pictures of the five gunmen posing with weapons.

Government says over 100 young people from middle class families have been missing since January 2015. Seeking anonymity, an official who is working closely on terrorism, said at least half of the missing persons are from Dhaka. Three of the terrorists who had participated in the Gulshan attack, similarly went missing four to six months months before the incident.

Source: Weekly Holiday