It was Raqibul Hasan aka Hafez Mahmud–one of the three freed from police–who led to the arrest of Jam’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Shayakh Abdur Rahman in 2006, according to RAB.
The two other JMB militants freed in the hold-up, Salauddin Salehin alias Sunny and Jahidul Islam alias Bomaru Mizan, are also senior leaders of the outlawed organisation, said security officials.
Masked gunmen made off with the trio in a filmy-style ambush leaving a police constable shot dead in Mymensingh’s Trishal Upazila.
Hours later, Mahmud was nabbed in Tangail while the others are yet to be traced.
“Shayakh Abdur Rahman was arrested in Sylhet upon information from Rakibul Hassan,” Additional Director of RAB Col Ziaul Ahsan told bdnews24.com.
Police, RAB and intelligence officials say it is clear from Sunday’s incident that the JMB–which rocked the country with serial bomb blasts on Aug 17, 2005–is still active.
Raqibul Hasan alias Hafez Mahmud was arrested on Feb 28, 2006 in Dhaka. Two days after, Shayakh Rahman was nabbed from Sylhet. The Siddikul Islam alias ‘Bangla Bhai’ was arrested on Mar 6 in Mymensingh.
Mahmud hails from Jamalpur district, the same place Shayakh Abdur Rahman comes from.
“He (Mahmud) was handed the responsibility to organise JMB in Khulna division. He was student of madrasa at Dhaka’s Jatrabarhi,” said Col Ziaul Ahsan.
He has been sentenced to death in one of the 33 cases against him. He faces a 74-year jail term including life imprisonment in three cases and the rest are on trial.
Named in 40 cases, Salahuddin Salehin alias Sunny was arrested on Apr 25, 2006 in Chittagong’s Pahartali. He has also been sentenced to death in three cases.
On Mar 30, 2007 six JMB leaders including Shayakh Rahman and Bangla Bhai were hanged for the 2005 killing of two judges — Sohel Ahmed Chowdhury and Jagannath Parhe in Jhalakathi.
Sunny and Mahmud then made Jahidul Islam alias Bomaru Mizan the head of JMB’s military wing, according to law enforcers.
On May 14, 2009, when Mizan was arrested at a house in Dhaka. He lobbed bombs at RAB during a raid in which his wife’s wrist was blown off.
RAB had recovered a huge cache of explosives and grenades from Mizan’s house.
He was the key bomb-maker of the countrywide series bombings in 2005, according to RAB officials.
Charged in 25 cases, Mizan has been awarded 63-year jail term in five cases including a life imprisonment.
RAB official Col Ahsan said that they had arrested a group of female militants upon information from Mizan’s wife.
Source: bdnews24