A certain group had been planning subversive and terror activities to free war criminals now under trial, said a recent intelligence report.
The report, prepared by the Special Branch (SB) of police, said the group might hijack a plane on international or domestic routes, abduct or kill any VIP and commit atrocities by blasting bombs.
The SB submitted the report to the home ministry on October 29, four days before the schedule date of hearing of two petitions filed by convicted war criminals — Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed of Jamaat-e-Islami and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury of BNP — seeking review of the Supreme Court verdicts that upheld their death penalty.
The SC on November 2 fixed November 17 for hearing the review petitions which, apart from presidential mercy, is the last chance for the duo to avoid gallows.
The Special Branch report also said the group is also out to tarnish the image of the nation by creating anarchy and degrading law and order in the country.
The agency alerted the government about the plans and requested for immediate security measures at the key point installations or important establishments.
The report came amid serious security concerns following a sudden spat of terrorist acts, including killings of secularist bloggers, two foreigners, a publisher and two cops, attacks on a pastor, a military policeman and a Shia gathering.
However, some security analysts thwarting the war crimes trial might not be the only reason behind such criminal activities. Any militant organisation can carry out those types of attacks taking advantage of a volatile situation, they said.
But some apprehensions made in the SB report matched with the deposition of Masud Rana, an activist of Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, over the fatal stabbing of ASI Ibrahim Mollah at a Gabtoli checkpoint on October 21.
After submission of the report, several criminal acts, including the murder of publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan and police constable Mukul, took place. And a prosecutor, several prosecution witnesses and campaigners of war crimes trial received death threats.
Top police officials and people involved with the war crimes trial said the two convicted war criminals, who have strong followings in their parties and even outside the country, would somehow try to destabilise law and order to thwart the possible executions.
The recent attacks were part of the last ditch efforts by the two to save lives, they added.
Contacted, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they have “evidence of the involvement of BNP and Jamaat in all the recent killings and criminal activities.”
“They are carrying out the crimes to jeopardise the ongoing war crimes trial and destabilise the country,” he told this newspaper yesterday.
He added, “Jamaat or Huji [Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami] and JMB [Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh] are the same thing. They are doing these things [criminal activities] to create unrest in the country.”
‘ISI CONNECTION’
Tureen Afroz, a leading prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, said the recent attacks are “linked with the trial and execution of war criminals.”
“There cannot be any other equation,” she told The Daily Star.
Explaining, she said whenever the execution of any war criminal nears, Jamaat-e-Islami and its associate bodies carry out subversive activities or at least try to do so in order to give people a negative impression about the trial.
Tureen said Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is not only an influential leader of BNP, his “connection with ISI [Pakistani intelligence agency] is well-known to all.” Mojaheed is also a powerful leader of Jamaat as he holds the rank of party’s secretary general.
“As the execution of the two is imminent, this time the impact is double. Threats on us are also increased,” said the prosecutor.
She believes that these two people serve interests of different organisations at home and abroad. In return, Tureen said, these organisations will definitely try to save their “close friends”.
She observed that such criminal activities may continue to take place until the execution of the verdict of Salauddin and Mojaheed.
Prominent war crimes researcher Shahriar Kabir said all the killings — be it of police or bloggers — are not isolated.
“These are well-orchestrated and masterminded by ISI and executed by it local agents — Jamaat as well as BNP,” said Kabir, also the executive president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, which has been campaigning for the war crimes trial for over two decades.
Shahriar, also the first prosecution witness in the case against Mojaheed, said “Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is the key agent of ISI in Bangladesh while ISI is the main patron of Jamaat.”
“Therefore, ISI cannot accept the execution of their top agents as they think the execution would be their major political defeat in Bangladesh… That is why they are carrying out these [criminal] activities to foil the war crimes trial,” he said.
MASUD’S STATEMENT
Shibir activist Masud admitted to police that his companion Enamul Haque alias Kamal, ex-president of Adamdighi upazila (Bogra) Shibir, allegedly stabbed the ASI dead while the cop was checking Enamul’s bag that contained two firearms.
According to a video record of Masud’s statement, Masud and Kamal came to Dhaka from Bogra as part of a mission to carry out bomb attacks and to assassinate six VIPs — three civil society members vocal for execution of war criminals and three ministers.
A reporter of The Daily Star has watched the clip.
Masud said they brought a consignment of 10 improvised grenades, five of which police recovered from his rented house in Kamrangirchar following his information.
Police said the grenades charged at Hossaini Dalan on early October 25 are similar to those recovered from Kamrangirchar.
Masud said they came to Dhaka as per the decision made by some Jamaat-BNP leaders of Adamdighi upazila to create subversive activities.
He also admitted that six other groups also came to the capital to accomplish the mission.
“Following his [Masud’s] information, we raided several dens of the groups, but they fled away earlier following the arrest of Masud,” said a senior police officer who led the raids.
“At some dens we even found rice, cooked a day earlier but untouched,” he said wishing anonymity.
Masud came to the capital 21 days before he was caught for the first time. He used to recce the places of targets posing as an egg seller.
From Masud, police seized a map that clearly directing the roads to different key point installations (KPIs) and areas where VIPs live.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The SB report recommended ensuring strong security measures to all important installations like airports; public gathering places; bus, rail and river terminals; all key point installations; power stations; gas distribution centres; industries and factories; entertainment places; and offices and residences of foreigners.
It suggested setting up security wall and installing adequate lights at airports, seaports and all the KPIs. It also recommended ensuring full-time watch at these installations by setting up control rooms or watch tower.
“Considering the matter with utmost priority, adequate monitoring mechanism will have to be taken immediately,” said the report, requesting all members of police and other law enforcing agencies to stay alert.
Already, security measures have been beefed up at all three international airports. Dog squads of BGB and Rab were stationed at these airports to detect explosives.
Source: The Daily Star
