Bangladesh forces arrest JMBs Dhaka chief, 2 others
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A top leader of an outlawed militant organisation, JMB was on Saturday arrested in Bangladesh along with two of his associates and huge amount of explosives seized from them.
Elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) troops arrested the suspected Dhaka region chief of outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Sharsul Islam Likhon in a predawn swoop at suburban Savar, officials said.
"Our men have arrested JMBs current Dhaka division commander Sharsul Islam Likhon along with a full time and a part time operator of the outfit early this morning," a RAB spokesman told PTI.
Without any immediate elaboration, he said, the raid was carried out on an intelligence report while "huge amount" of explosives were also seized from their hideouts during the operation.
The arrest of Likhon came months after Dhaka newspapers carried a report quoting security officials that the nearly depleted banned outfit planned to stage a series of blasts in the capital to signal its re-emergence despite a massive anti-militant campaign.
Security forces arrested last acting JMB chief Anwar Alam, alias Bhanga Shahid, in July 20101 after arrests of his two predecessors earlier while officials quoting the detained militant operatives earlier said the outfit was running without a chief and policy making "sura committee".
The JMB had announced its emergence staging the near simultaneous blasts in 62 out of 64 districts in August 17, 2005 but only two persons were killed in the explosions as the outfit at that time preferred not to use powerful explosives in 500 improvised bombs it exploded at 470 spots.
In subsequent years, the JMB, however, carried out a series of bomb attacks across the country killing scores of people including two judges prompting the launch of a massive anti-militant campaign.
The outfit witnessed a setback after six JMB kingpins, including its founder chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman and second in command Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai were executed in2007 while, officials said, out of 303 cases filed particularly on the August 17, 2005 serial blasts, 105 were disposed of so far.
A total of 30 people received death sentences over the bombing campaign while more than 150 have received life terms. Twenty others are serving 20-year sentences.
Security officials earlier said they had information that JMB spread its activities in Maldah in West Bengal state of India as its "65th organisational district".
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