Islamist Terrorism: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2011

A militant belonging to the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddha), identified as Abdul Aziz (30), of village Balughata was killed by the outfit rivals in Faridpur sub-district of Pabna District on January 2, reports Daily Star. According to Police sources, outfit rivals caught him from his village and chopped and shot him to death at a field of the village. The deceased, accused in several cases, including two for murder, is a listed criminal. Read less...

Detained Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, ‘president’ of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), a banned outfit, was shown arrested on January 2 for his alleged involvement in the abduction of physician Azizur Rahman in Dhaka’s Mirpur area in September 2003, reports Daily Star. A Bangla daily Prothom Alo on May 13, 2008 published a report that a militant confessed to the Police that they had abducted homeopath Azizur for protesting militant activities during his stay in Khulna District. Following the report, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and several others were shown arrested in an abduction case filed by Azizur's wife. Read less...

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel arrested four militants of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Dhaka’s Kalabagan area on January 3, reports Daily Star. The arrestees are S.M. Abdul Goni (25), Abu Huraira Bin Aman alias Shams (22), Mohammad Shahnewaz Al Maruf (22), and S.M. Ashrafuzzaman (30). RAB recovered three laptop and three desktop computers, seven mobile phone sets, some publications on JMB, a motorbike, huge number of CDs and a cash amount of BDT 68,000 from their possession. According to RAB, Goni is the convenor and Maruf is a member of JMB's invitation branch (Dawati Shakha) while Shams is the chief coordinator of its recruiting and training unit and Ashrafuzzaman is a member of the outfit. Read less...

Police personnel arrested 11 militants belonging to Hizb-ut-Towhid, including two of its regional leaders, in Chuadanga District on January 4, reports Daily Star. The Police also seized books, Compaq Discs (CDs) and leaflets from their possession. The regional leaders were identified as - Zahidul Islam (39) of Chorgoal village and Akabul Islam (40) of Kalyanpur village in Gangni sub-district of Meherpur District - were arrested when they went to the Police station to free other militants from Police custody. Read less...

The Police personnel arrested three cadres belonging to the Red Flag faction of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Red Flag) the remote Ranigram village of Pabna District on January 4, reports Daily Star. A firearm and ammunition were also seized from them. The arrestees were identified as Mohammed Ali (25), Motaleb Hossain (26), and Mohammadd Bakul Hossain (30), of village Haripur of Ataikula union in Pabna Sadar sub-district. Read less...

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested six militants belonging to Hizb-ut-Tawhid from Choddopai under Motihar Police Station of Rajshahi District on January 5, reports Daily Star. The militants were identified as Asaduzzaman Khan Sohel (27), Alfaz Hossain (25), Mahmudul Karim (26), Rabiul Awal (28), Ashraf Ali (25) and Mizanur Rahman (28). The RAB said that they were arrested while distributing leaflets, CDs and giving wrong explanation of religion. RAB seized several CDs, books, and leaflets from them. Read less...

In Pabna District, Police arrested a militant belonging to the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddha), identified as Mohammad Korban Ali (35) along with firearm from Shatgasa village of Atghoria sub-district on January 5. Read less...

Islamist militants have threatened to kill Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and blow up a high-security prison in north-eastern Chittagong city if their associates are not released from the prison within a month, reported Daily Star, according to Times of India. The jailer of the prison in Chittagong port city received a letter containing the threat, with its sender calling himself a member of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). "She (Hasina) survived this year's August 15 but she will not be alive in future as she will also be blown to smithereens," the letter said in an oblique reference to August 15, 1975 when her father and the country's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members, according to the report. Read less...

The Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) threatened to blow up Chittagong District Central Jail and Court Building on January 5, reports New Age. A letter, claimed to have been signed by two militants of the JMB reached jailor, Rafiqul Quader, by post on January 5. The outfit threatened to bomb the jail and the Court building if its detained militants were not released in a month’s time, Quader told. Strict security measures have been taken inside as well as the jail premises following the threat. ‘We are on high alert,’ Quader added. Read less...

A Chittagong Court on January 6 placed Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, president of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), on a four-day remand in two cases filed for his alleged involvement with Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh (HuJI-B). Of the two cases filed with Raojan Police Station, one was filed under Anti-Terrorism Act while the other under Explosive Substance Act. Read less...

Home Minister Sahara Khatun said the trial of war criminals will be completed within the next three years despite 'conspiracy against the trial'. “A vested quarter is hatching conspiracy to obstruct the trial of war criminals. All should resist those conspirators,” she said. Read less...

Four women militants of Hizb-ut-Towhid were arrested on January 7 at Chhatadap village under Atwary sub-district in Panchagarh District while they were distributing Islamist books and leaflets, reports Daily Star. The arrestees are Momotaz Begum (40), Momtasina (25), Firoza Begum (28), and Mehnab Begum (21). Police also recovered seven books, six CDs and 70 leaflets relating to their outfit from their possession. Read less...

A cadre belonging to the Janajuddha faction of the PBCP (PBCP-Janajuddha), identified as Sujon alias Loba (30) was hacked to death at border village Shatgasa on January 9. The party rivals might have killed him over past enmity, OC of Chatmohar Police Station said. Read less...

A cadre belonging to the Red Flag faction of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Red Flag), identified as Akbar Hossain alias Akubbar (30) was hacked and shot dead by unidentified persons at Shibpur Charpara village under Ataikula Police station of Pabna District on January 11, reports Daily Star. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Atikula Police station Mohammad Habibur Rahman said Akubbar might have been killed due to internal feud of the outfit. Read less...

A Court in Pabna District sentenced the former ‘commander’ of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) of Pabna District, Nurul Islam Kawsar, to 10 years' of imprisonment for August 17, 2005 series bomb blast in Pabna District, reports Daily Star. However, the Court acquitted two JMB militants, Mukul Hossain and Hasmat Ali, from the charges. Read less...

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel arrested four cadres, belonging to the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddha), on January 10 after a gunfight at Ramnagar in Gangni sub-district of Meherpur District, reports Daily Star. RAB personnel recovered one 9-mm pistol, five bullets, nine bombs, one kilogram of gunpowder, some bomb-making materials, including wires and 250 leaflets of the outfit. Read less...

The Government on January 11 appointed two more investigators for war crimes investigation agency and excluded one from the existing 19 members probe body, reports Daily Star. Now the total number of the members is 20. The new investigators are M Sanaul Haque, former Inspector General of police (IGP) and Muhammad Abdul Hannan Khan, former additional deputy IGP. Khasrur Haque was dropped from the body, said a press note. Meanwhile, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku warned of tough punishment for threatening officials involved in the trial of the war criminals tracing the criminals using modern technologies including phone tracking. Read less...

A Dhaka Court on January 12 rejected a bail plea of three Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders, including its Ameer (chief) Motiur Rahman Nizami, for dismissal of a case filed against them for hurting religious sentiment of Muslims, reports Daily Star. Two others leaders whose bail plea were rejected are Jamaat ‘secretary general’ Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid and its Nayeb-e-Ameer (deputy chief) Delwar Hossain Sayedee. Metropolitan Magistrate A.E.M. Ismail Hossain passed the order after their lawyer submitted a petition saying that the complainant of the case has been absent from the Court on three consecutive dates. Read less...

Troopers of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered eight bombs, two India made shutter guns, one locally made pipe gun and three bullets from Baribathan area of Jhenaidah District on January 15, reports Daily Star. The criminals might have kept the arms and ammunition for handing over to other groups of banned outfits, said RAB sources. Read less...

Nine cadres belonging to Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), including two students of Dhaka University (DU), were arrested on January 19 in Dhaka’s Dakkhinkhan and Hazaribagh areas, reports Daily Star. Police made the arrests while conducting drives in different parts of Dhaka and also recovered a huge quantity of publications and posters of HuT along with two computers containing anti-state propaganda. Read less...

Six militants belonging to the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Jhigatola area of Dhaka, the national capital of Bangladesh, on January 20, reports Daily Star. According to the Police sources all of them are students of Dhaka University (DU) from different departments. RAB recovered 50 leaflets and 16 posters containing anti-state and anti-government slogans. Read less...

At least 10 Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists were injured in a clash between the activists of BCL and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) at Sylhet Agricultural University in Sylhet District on January 21. Read less...

Three cadres, belonging to Hizb-ut-Tawhid were arrested at Bhagnagarkandi in Singra sub-district of Natore District on January 21, reports Daily Star. The arrestees are Tohibur Rahman (40), son of Khodabux of Debipur village, Abu Sayed (19), son of Amanullah of Baro Bamondi village, and Ansar Ali, 34, son Fakir Mohammad of Sindur kauta village in Meherpur District. Local people caught the three while they were distributing leaflets at the village. The villagers later handed over the three to the Police who also recovered seven books on jihad, two CDs and some leaflets from their possessions. Read less...

Five cadres belonging to the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddha) were arrested after gunfight with Police at Jorgasa village under Atghoria sub-district of Pabna District on January 23, reports Daily Star. The arrested cadres were identified as Yusuf Ali, Saiful Islam, Chapu Sardar, Fazlul Islam and Moksed Biswas. Police recovered a rifle and three bullets from the incident site. Read less...

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel arrested four militants belonging to the Hizb-ut-Tawhid at Talaimari in Rajshahi District on January 24, reports Daily Star. RAB also seized 19 CDs, nine books and 40 leaflets of the outfit from them. Read less...

At least 15 people were injured in a clash between Hijb-ut-Tawhid cadres and local worshippers while the devotees from different mosques brought out the procession against Hijbut cadres at Uzirpur sub-district town of Barisal District on January 25, reports Daily Star. A case was filed with Uzirpur Police Station on January 26 against 21 Hijb-ut-Tawhid militants on charge of attacking musullis in a procession. Read less...

According to an investigation report it was revealed that most of the 32 Arges grenades sent to Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) by Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were used in at least seven major terror attacks in 2004-05, reports Daily Star on January 28. Of the attacks, six targeted the leaders of the then opposition Awami League (AL), and the other was on the British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury. In carrying out the blasts, HuJI-B had been aided by a powerful quarter, some of who were in state power. Investigators unearthed these while trying to get to the source of the grenade used in the killing of AL leader and former Finance Minister S.A.M.S Kibria. Investigation sources say 21 grenades of the consignment from LeT were used in seven attacks between May 2004 and December 2005. Of those, 12 were dispatched to be used in the August 21, 2004 blasts and nine in six attacks in Sylhet region including Kibria killing. Of the nine grenades for Sylhet, two were used in the attack on a rally of AL policymaker Suranjit Sengupta. The investigators say some other Arges grenades of the LeT cache have been recovered by law enforcement agencies from different places including Narsingdi and Satkhira. HuJI-B started using grenades in their attacks since 2004. Read less...

Two cadres belonging to Hizb-ut-Tawhid were arrested on the office premises of Chandpur Police Superintendent in Chandpur District on January 30, reports Daily Star. The arrestees are Saiful Islam (30), of Masterpara village under Ramgarh Sub-district of Khagrachhari District, and Shafiqul Islam (31), of Nabipur village under Debiddar sub-district of Comilla District. Chandpur Police Superintendent Muhammad Shahidullah said Police arrested the Hizb-ut-Tawhid cadres while they were distributing leaflets, calendars and books on jihad. Read less...