Security measures have been beefed up in the diplomatic zone in Dhaka with the deployment of additional forces from different law enforcement agencies following a reported threat by Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab (TTP), a Pakistan-based militant organisation, to attack European embassies in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
“We have taken cognizance of the media reports. It is our duty to ensure the security of the diplomatic zone, as well as diplomats,” ATM Habibur Rahman, director of the legal and media wing of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), said Thurday.
He said authorities had deployed additional forces and stepped up vigilance in the capital’s diplomatic zone, comprising parts of Banani, Gulshan and Baridhara.
Khandaker Lutful Kabir, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan division, said: “The security measures for foreign embassies, as well as the diplomatic zone, have been intensified to face any kind of situation and ensure security of the diplomats.”
Local residents said a huge contingent of forces from the police, Rab and other security agencies were seen patrolling the area Thurday. Movement of vehicles and people in the area was also restricted through setting up check-posts.
Zee News, an Indian news channel, aired a report on Wednesday quoting Asian News International, which said Asmatullah Muawiy, a key militant commander of the TTP, had issued a threat to attack European embassies across the world, including those located in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Muawiya reportedly called on Muslim youths to replicate the attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, according to a terrorism threat monitoring report of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMR), a Washington-based research institute that specialises in translating and monitoring jihadi media networks.