DHAKA, FEB 21: An intelligence agency on Thursday alerted security agencies to possible bomb attacks this month on sensitive targets by ‘anti-state elements’. It said in a message that places of Dhaka City like Shahbagh, Baitul Mukarram, Press Club and areas surrounding the Secretariat may be targeted for acts of sabotage including suicide bomb attacks. A copy of the message is available with bdnews34.com. The message reads: “Our sources informed that anti-state elements are trying to carry out destructive activities including suicide bomb attacks on different targets to cause serious impact on the law and order situation of the country.”
“The threat will exist up to 25th February for the time being and at places of Dhaka city like Shahbag, Shaheed Minar, Baitul Mukarram, Press Club, places adjacent to Secretariat and other important areas of the country”
The law-enforcement agencies have been asked to intensify security measures.
Asked by bdnews24.com, a top official has spoken of credible intelligence, gathered at home and abroad, that according to news gathered from different sources and statements of those arrested, plans were afoot to carry out large-scale attacks at different places of Bangladesh.
“There are hints from outside the country that the threat will exist for the whole of February” the official told bdnews24.com, admitting that the alert was sent to all enforcement agencies. He preferred to remain unnamed because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the sensitive issue. The government has been saying that conspiracies were on to foil the war crimes trials.
The law-enforcement agencies recently arrested several leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the party which ran riot and attacked police on several occasions, in an evident move to press the government to dissolve the international crimes tribunals.
The RAB detained the chief of Rajshahi unit of Jamaat three days back and claimed that 20 bombs were found on him.
Police said they nabbed on Wednesday five Shibir activists, who were carrying explosives and planning subversive acts at Shaheed Minar.
Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam on Wednesday said large-scale murders were being planned.
Source: The Independent