Detective Branch of Police personnel yesterday claimed to have arrested three members of banned Islamist organisation Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in the capital's Sayedabad with huge explosives and bomb making materials on Wednesday night.
The DB personnel also claimed that the JMB had been trying to be reorganised in the form of International militant organisation al-Qaeda and trying to establish the philosophy of the al-Qaeda.
Besides, the activists of the banned outfit also had a plan of carrying out bomb attacks at Eid congregations, the DB officials claimed.
The detained JMB members were identified as Md Shameem Mahfuz alias Sumon aliasd Manring Morong, 38, of Gaibandha, Md Zahidur Rahman, 33, of Pirojpur, and Ismail Hossain, 39, of Chandpur.
At a press briefing, the DB officials claimed that during the primary interrogation the detainees told about their recent activities. They also confessed of being involved in the activities of another militant organisation named Jama'atul Muslemin earlier.
DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said: “As part of their activities, they had been active in the recruitment of militants in deep forest in Thanchi of Bandarban where they had also been providing training to the new recruited members as part of their preparation of carrying out attacks.”
He also said the detainees had been coordinating among the militants in and around the capital.
“Shameem Mahfuz had been keeping close communications with militants who are now fugitives in Pakistan and different other places,” said Monirul Islam.
In a reply, he also said detained Shameem had been working as the chief coordinator and under his directives other detainees had been supplying explosives and leaflets in different places.
DB sources said all the detainees were earlier arrested different times for their militant activities and they resumed their activities after their releases on bails.
The DB officials said the arrest was made following a long period of observation.
