Bangladesh: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2005

Daily Star reports that Nyamat Ali alias Nyiat, a cadre of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-Janajuddha), was killed in 'crossfire' with police in Alamdanga subdistrict in Chuadanga district on January 1. Read less...

The PBCP-ML has reportedly killed its cadre Imran alias Hasan to 'avenge' the killing of the outfit's leader Mofakkhar Chowdhury. The outfit alleged that Imran was killed as he leaked out the whereabouts of Mofakkhar taking Taka 2 lakh from Abdur Rashid Malitha alias Tapan, founder of Janajuddho faction of the PBCP. Read less...

According to Daily Star, Sayed Kawsar Hussain Siddiki Raja, chief of the Islamist terrorist group, Shahadat-e Al Hiqma, was remanded to police custody in Rajshahi district for the third time on January 2. He was reportedly arrested for the first time on April 23, 2002, for alleged anti-state activities. But he was freed on July 30, 2002, and once again detained on September 24, 2002 but was granted bail on December 21, 2002. Following the press conference of February 8, 2003, where Kawsar announced his group's aim to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state through an armed struggle, the Government proscribed his outfit on February 9, 2003. Read less...

The High Court, on January 2, has reportedly stayed for another three weeks the Government’s ban on Ahmadiyya publications. The court asked the Government to reply why the order banning Ahmadiyya publications, sale, distribution and preservation would not be declared illegal for violating the constitution and fundamental rights of the community. Read less...

A suspected cadre of the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), identified as Abdur Rob, was reportedly beaten to death by villagers at Chalna Bazaar in the Khulna district on January 3 Read less...

According to Daily Star, alleged suicide bomb squads threatened to kill former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, and blow up her Sudha Sadan residence for bringing her son, Joy, into politics. The E-mail threat sent on January 3 by one Masudur Rahman, said, "You have brought your son into politics, which is dangerous for you. So many of my desperate workers are now in Dhaka and they'll destroy your Sudha Sadan by explosives soon under my instruction. Be careful!" Read less...

A regional leader of the outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), identified as Iqbal Hossain alias Shaikat, was reportedly killed during an encounter with the police at Gilatala in the Khulna district on January 6. A swan-off rifle, three bullets and four bombs were seized from the incident site. Read less...

According to Daily Star, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including 11 AK 47 rifles, 53 magazines and 1,506 bullets, from Naikkhongchhari in the Bandarban district of Chittagong region on January 6. With this, the BDR has retrieved a total of 26 AK47 and two M16 rifles, four mortars, eight light machine guns, one rocket launcher and more than 14,000 bullets in the last one and a half months from the district. Read less...

Abdul Hai, ‘zonal leader’ of the outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party-Marxist Leninist (PBCP) was reportedly killed during an encounter with the security force (SF) personnel in the Abhoynagar area of Jessore district on January 10. Two SF personnel sustained injuries in the incident Read less...

Daily Star has reported that a woman cadre of Purba Banglar Communist Party-Janajuddha (PBCP), identified as Shanti, was killed by security forces’ in an encounter at Alangi in the Jhenidah district on January 10. Official sources claimed that three police personnel were wounded in the shooting and one pipe-gun and two rounds of bullets were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel shot dead ‘vice president’ of Rajshahi Division of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party-Marxist Leninist (PBCP-ML), Moslem Mollah, at Jigrihat in the Natore district on January 10. RAB personnel stated that they seized a foreign-made pistol, one magazine and two bullets from the incident site. In a separate incident, RAB personnel recovered a powerful grenade from the Aminbazar area in capital Dhaka on January 7 and arrested three people in this connection. Read less...

At least 35 people were wounded during bomb attacks on two cultural functions in the Jamalpur and neighbouring Sherpur districts on January 12. According to The Independent, while at least 25 persons sustained injuries during a bomb explosion at Sontia High School ground in Jamalpur, in Sherpur, at least 10 people were injured during a bomb attack on a local theatre festival at Chakpara village. Read less...

On the same day, a regional leader of the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) in Jhenidah was killed in similar circumstances. He was earlier arrested from the Khamr area in Dhaka and was taken to Jhingerpara village in Jhenidah district. Two rifles and 10 bullets were recovered from the encounter site. Read less...

Two leaders of the proscribed Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF), including its former ‘general secretary’ Billal Hossain and an ‘advisor’ of the outfit in Kushtia region, Mahamudul Haq Dilu, were killed in an encounter with the police at Swastipur village in Kushtia district after being arrested from the Motijheel area in capital Dhaka on January 12. Both were taken there for the recovery of illegal arms when the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) party was attacked by the GMF cadres. The arrested leaders tried to escape and were reportedly killed in the crossfire. Two RAB personnel were injured and three rifles and 18 bullets were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

Police personnel recovered an AK-47 rifle from a pond in the Sumilpara area of Narayanganj district. Read less...

According to Daily Star, widows of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) leaders in Khulna district have formed a suicide squad to avenge killings of their husbands in reported encounters with police during the last one year. Read less...

On January 14, Ajmat Ali, the regional leader of an unspecified left-wing extremist organisation, was killed during a shootout between Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel and cadres of the outfit at Hideshkhol village in Pabna district. Ali was arrested on January 13 and was reportedly taken to the village for the recovery of illegal arms when the RAB team was attacked by his accomplices. Ali died while trying to escape. A shutter gun and two bullets were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

On January 15, four cadres of the Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) were arrested by a joint team of the Army and Rapid Action Battalion personnel from Chittagong-Rangamati road at Godharpar in the Chittagong district. One SBBL gun, three LG guns, 23 rounds of bullets and some sharp weapons were recovered from their possession. Read less...

Daily Star, quoting official sources, reported that a group of 25 cadres of the Janajuddha faction of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) have entered the Jhenidah district with a hundred powerful bombs purchased from an Islamist militant group from the Chittagong district. The report further said that the outfit has formed a bomb squad with cadres below the age of 20 years in order to carry out attacks targeting several politicians, journalists and senior police officers. Read less...

Previously on January 16, the PBCP ‘publicity secretary for international affairs’ Muhammad Shafi Sarkar was killed in an encounter at Raghunathpur in Rajshahi district. A local made gun and three bullets were recovered from the encounter site. Read less...

According to delayed news, on January 17, an Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) cadre Akhtar Hamid was arrested from Kakrail area in capital Dhaka. Following his interrogation, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel recovered five guns, 10 rifle bullets, six cartridges and two daggers from his village at Keruntali in Maheshkhali of Chittagong district. Read less...

According to the information provided by an arrested Jamatul Mujahideen (JM) cadre, the JM militants were involved in the January 15 bomb attack on a folk theatre show in Laxmikola village in Shahjahanpur sub-district of Bogra. The JM cadre Shafiquallh was arrested on January 17 from Chaksudur village in Gabtoli sub-district. Read less...

In a separate incident on January 17, Lal Potaka, a leader of the PBCP-Marxist Leninist faction (PBCP-ML) was killed in crossfire in Durgapur sub-district of Rajshahi. Read less...

On January 17, a suspected militant belonging to the Jamaatul Mujahideen was arrested from Chaksudur village in Bogra district and explosives and bomb-making substances were recovered from his possession. Read less...

On January 17, Didarul Islam Palash alias Shyamal, ‘operational commander’ of the Khulna Metropolitan city unit of Purba Banglar Communist Party’s (PBCP) Janajuddha faction was killed in a shootout with police personnel at Sonadanga in Khulna district. Police recovered a gun, 58 rifle bullets, 13 pistol bullets, and five gun cartridges from the encounter site. He was earlier arrested on January 16 along with three women PBCP cadres from the Sonadanga Residential Area. Official sources stated that the arrested women are members of a suicide squad formed to avenge the killings of top PBCP leaders in ‘crossfire’. Read less...

On the same day, Delwar Hossain Dulal alias Dayal, ‘regional leader’ of Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF) and Sirajul Islam alias Ilu, ‘arms commander’ of the Jashod Gono Bahini (JGB), who were earlier arrested on January 16 from Ratulpara village and Blackpara of Iswardi municipality area respectively, were killed in crossfire while leading the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for recovery of arms in Bakapul area of Kushtia district. Two LG guns and 30 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter. Read less...

On the same day, JGB cadres killed two businessmen for refusing to pay extortion amount of Taka 30,000 in Mirpur sub-district of Kushtia. Read less...

According to Daily Star, police in Khulna, with effect from January 18, has started a special drive to arrest members of women suicide squad of the Janajuddho faction of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP). Read less...

On January 19, two cadres of the Biplobi Communist Party (BCP), identified as Raj Ali and Laltu Biswas, were killed in crossfire as they attempted to escape during a shootout between police personnel and BCP cadres at Shibpur in the Kushtia district. Both were arrested on January 18 from the Berbaradi village and were taken to Shibpur for recovery for arms when the police party came under attack by the BCP cadres. A shutter gun and seven bullets were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

On January 20, Kartik Chandra Rishi, a Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) cadre belonging to the Janajuddha faction, was killed in similar circumstances at Tala in the Satkhira district. He was earlier arrested on January 19 from his house at Amanullahpur. A pipe-gun and three cartridges were recovered from the encounter site. Read less...

On January 21, Aynal Hossain Mondal, a local leader of the Biplobi Communist Party (BCP), was killed in an encounter with the security forces’ near village Balarampur in the Kushtia district. On the same day, in a similar incident, Shafiqul Islam, a cadre of the Purba Banglar Communist party (PBCP), was killed at Lalpara in the Rajshahi district. Read less...

On January 22, three cadres of the vigilante Islamist outfit, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), were killed by an angry mob following the killing of Mahbub Hossain Dewan, the Awami League publicity secretary, at ward no. 9 of Taherpur municipality and a subsequent attack on a local body chairman in the Bagmara area of Rajshahi district. Following the killings, at least 50 people, including eight police personnel, were injured in clashes between the police and JMJB cadres at Bhabaniganj in Bagmara on January 24. Police also arrested 64 JMJB cadres, but did not detain any of the leaders who led the attacks. Read less...

A day earlier, Nata Kabir, a cadre of the Janajuddha faction of Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), was killed by an angry mob at Tootpara Mahirkhal in the Khulna district. On the same day, another PBCP-Janajuddha cadre, Russel Shaikhwas, was killed by a mob in the Putia Wapda embankment area of Bagerhat district. Read less...

On January 26, Dipankar Sarkar, a leader of the New Biplobi Communist Party (NBCP), was reportedly killed during an encounter with the police at Wapda sluice gate area in the Khulna district. A foreign-made gun, two live cartridges and six used shells of bullets were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

Former Finance Minister, Shah AMS Kibria, and four other Awami League (AL) activists were killed and at least 70 persons sustained injuries during a grenade attack on an AL rally at Boidder Bazaar in the Habiganj district on January 27. According to Daily Star, the four others were identified as Kibria's nephew Shah Manjurul Huda and AL activists Siddique Ali, Abdur Rahim, and Abul Hossain. An advisor to the AL, Kibria was elected to the Parliament from Habiganj-3 constituency in the 2001 general elections. Read less...

Leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, held the ruling coalition responsible for all bomb and grenade blasts including the latest one. Read less...

A regional leader of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), Entaj alias Enta, was reportedly killed during crossfire between police and his accomplices at Khirpota village in the Natore district on January 28. According to Daily Star, he had earlier been arrested from Baioni village in the Singra area. While two police constables were injured in the shootout, a pipe gun and 12 rounds of bullet were recovered from the incident site. Read less...

Daily Star reports that a cadre of the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) on January 28 claimed that the JMJB was responsible for carrying out the bomb attack on a jatra (a folk theatre form) at Laxikola village of Shahjahanpur upazila (subdistrict) on January 14, in which two were killed and 70 wounded. Shafiullah, arrested from a Jamatul Mujahidin's operative's house with a huge amount of explosives on January 16, said in a statement to the local Court that Osman, a member of the JMJB bomb squad, carried out the attack along with several others. Read less...

Four persons, including two associates of vigilante Islamist group Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) chief Bangla Bhai, were arrested from the Hamir Kuchha area of Rajshahi district on January 28. According to Daily Star, the two others, Afzal Hossain and Hekmat Ali, are activists of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP). Read less...

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel recovered some firearms, including one M-16 Rifle, from Shahnagar in the Chittagong district on January 28. The RAB also arrested four persons, including one Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) cadre, for their alleged involvement in the possession and smuggling of illegal firearms. Read less...

A JMJB cadre, Shafiqullah, arrested in Bogra told police on January 30 that JMJB will continue their bomb attacks on 'anti-Islamic' social and cultural organisations as well as NGOs. JMJB has organised and trained a bomb squad, according to information given by Shafiqullah. He was arrested from a Jamatul Mujahidin's operative's house with a large amount of explosives on January 16. Read less...

According to Daily Star, preliminary investigations by the security agencies have revealed a section of the ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami activists to be the prime suspects in the January 27-grenade blasts that killed former Finance Minister, S A Kibria, and four others in the Habiganj district. Police on January 30-night detained two persons affiliated to the ruling coalition on suspicion of having links to the incident. Some unnamed police officials said that several activists and criminals allegedly belonging to the BNP and Jamaat might have been involved in the grenade blasts. "We are considering every possibility and ruling out nothing. But right now, our analysis shows that the local BNP leaders are most benefited from Kibria's death," said an official. Read less...

Daily Star has reported that the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) cadres in Rajshahi district have been circulating leaflets for the last two days calling for Muslims to prepare for a Jehad (holy war). The leaflets, titled 'Qurbani and Jihad Fi Sabilillah' (Sacrifice and Jehad for Allah), said that organisations committed to Jehad, like in many other countries, had flourished in Bangladesh as well to fight the 'conspiracies of Kafirs' and retain 'the glory of Muslims'. Read less...

On January 30, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca, asked the Bangladesh Government for full access to all evidence and witnesses of the January 27 Habiganj grenade attack if they are to send the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for probing the attack. Rocca reportedly called Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan to explain her Government's position regarding clear terms of reference as she said inaccessibility to evidence had rendered ineffective the FBI's help in the August 21 Dhaka grenade attack investigation. On January 29, State Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar, said the Government would want the FBI to remain with the local investigators until or unless an effective investigation is finished. Read less...

Three senior cadres of the Janajuddho faction of Purbo Bangla Communist Party (PBCP) were killed in two incidents of crossfire with the police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the Chuadanga district on January 30. Two cadres were killed in a reported shootout with the RAB personnel at village Nilmaniganj in Alamdanga subdistrict, while another cadre of the outfit was killed at village Singhoria in the Sadar subdistrict. Read less...

A businessman, identified as Bishu Aich, is reported to have died as suspected Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) cadres lobbed an unspecified number of bombs at a shopping centre in the Kotwali area of Chittagong on January 31. Police arrested two ICS cadres, Shah Alam and Shahabuddin, in this connection, reported The Independent. Read less...

According to New Age, two suspected leaders of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) were killed during separate encounters with the police in the Pabna and Jhenidah districts on January 31. In Pabna, Abdul Awal, a regional leader of the PBCP (Lalpataka faction), was killed at Alipur while in Jhenidah, another regional leader, Abdul Karim alias Tiger Madhu, wanted in some 18 cases, was killed in an encounter at Zianagar Trimohini. Read less...

On January 31, the Natore police, reportedly with the help of villagers, arrested 12 Jamaatul Mujahidin activists and followers of vigilante Islamist leader, Bangla Bhai, from the Pirganj Sadhupara mosque in the Natore district. Read less...