Police, RAB and SWAT, in a joint drive, have busted a den of banned Islami militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) at a building in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
Police recovered 16 grenades, explosives and firearms from the flat. A suicide belt was also found on the spot.
Some 200 bombs could be made by the substances found in the JMB den, said DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam.
The drive in the building was concluded around 4pm for today [Thursday], Monirul added. He also said the flat where the JMB men lived was sealed off. The drive will resume on Friday, he continued.
Seven people, including three JMB members have been detained during the drive at the house. The detainees could not be identified immediately.
The JMB men charged a grenade targeting the law enforcers during the drive. However, none was injured in the incident.
Photo: Mehedi Hasan
The journalists and the general public were asked to stay away from the building as the bomb disposal unit was working to dispose the bombs.
Meanwhile, the law enforcers evacuated the other flats in the building.
Bomb Disposal Unit ADC Sanowar Hossain said 16 grenades were found at the JMB den. Later, all those were disposed.
“If we dispose the 16 improvised explosive device (IED) grenades here the building would have been blown off. So we are disposing these in an open space which is 100 metres away from the building,” he added.
Three of the detainees were held from one flat while the others from another. They had rented the flats four months ago with the identity of students.”
Members of police, RAB and SWAT cordoned off a building in Mirpur 1 early Thursday and detained them with explosives from the 5th floor.
Photo: Mehedi Hasan
Monirul said: “We detained a JMB member on Wednesday and on the basis of the information given by him we conducted the drive and held seven people. Of the detainees, three are key members of JMB while the identity of four others is yet to be confirmed.”
When asked Apu, son of tenant’s Abul Hossain Bhuiyan, said they had no available information regarding the arrestees who rented the house as students.
The members of other flats were allowed to enter into their respective flat after 4pm.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
