Anti-liberation forces are involved in the recent bomb blasts and the killings of two foreign nationals and an assistant sub-inspector, a minister and the police have said.
Police, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Mizanur Rahman expressed such statements at different programmes in the city yesterday.
They said such attacks were carried out to destabilise the country.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said law enforcement and intelligence agencies had so far not found any organisational presence of any militant groups.
The Harkat-ul-Jihad, JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team, Islami Chhatra Shibir are connected with each other, he said while talking to reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry.
The minister said no militants but some other terrorist groups may be doing this and the findings of the investigation will be published soon.
A schoolboy was killed and over 50 people were injured as three powerful homemade bombs exploded at the crowded Dhaka’s Hussaini Dalan as Shia Muslim devotees were taking preparations for bringing out a traditional Tazia procession marking the holy Ashura early Saturday.
An ASI of police was stabbed to death at a check post in Gabtoli area in Dhaka on Thursday night.
Earlier, two foreigners – Italian national Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi –were also killed.
The NHRC boss Mizanur Rahman yesterday said all these incidents starting from foreigners killing to ASI killing and bomb blast on Tazia procession are linked.
“A special group is carrying out the destructive activities to destabilise the country,” he said.
He also said different countries are issuing red alert over the separate incidents which may be results of international conspiracies.
“The attack is not against religion, rather it is a conspiracy to nullify the judgment against the war criminals,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque on Saturday blamed anti-liberation forces and war criminals for bomb attack on the Muharram gathering.
After a preliminary investigation, police think that it was not an attack from any militant organisation, he said adding that it was carried out by anti-liberation forces and war criminals.
The IGP also said the blast is a part of pre-planned destructive acts.
Shahidul said motive behind killing of a police sub-inspector at Gabtoli and bomb attacks on Tazia procession may be interlinked as they appeared almost similar.
Replying to a query, he said police did not find any militant link to the murder of police sub-inspector.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia earlier said: “It seems that no militant outfits were behind the attacks; it was a part of planned design of vested quarter.”
