July 14

1. 2 Jamaat leaders held for ’71 killings: The Daily Star, July 14
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla were arrested yesterday on charges of killing 345 people during the Liberation War in 1971.
Police made the arrests at the Supreme Court gate. They first picked up Molla at 4:15pm and then Kamaruzzaman at 6:15pm.
Assistant secretaries general of Jamaat, both were taken to the detective branch office.
Earlier in the day, the duo appeared before a High Court bench for anticipatory bail in two cases–one filed for a murder in 1971 and the other for a recent assault on policemen.
Around half an hour before Molla’s arrest, the bench ordered the law enforcers not to arrest or harass him and Kamaruzzaman in those two cases.
Syed Nurul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna), said the Jamaat leaders were not arrested in the cases to which the HC order applies.
Rather, he added, the two were detained in a case filed for a massacre in the capital’s Mirpur area in 1971.
Detained Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid are their co-accused.
Pallabi police said freedom fighter Amir Hossain Mollah filed the case on January 24, 2008, with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, which ordered police to record it as a regular case.
Amir Hossain in the case statement said Nizami, Mojahid, Kamaruzzaman, Quader Molla, three other fellow party men and three non-Bangalees killed 345 people including 21 of his relatives in Mirpur during the Liberation War.
Of those massacred, 65 were residents of Mirpur and the rest hailed from different districts.
While leaving the chamber of his counsel barrister Abdur Razzaq at around 6:00pm, Kamaruzzaman told reporters that the government is acting like a fascist regime. It is persecuting Jamaat leaders, violating court orders.
Pro-Jamaat lawyers and party activists were accompanying him on the court premises.
Tajul Islam, a lawyer for the detained Jamaat leaders, yesterday told The Daily Star that he would move a contempt petition today against the police for breaching the HC orders not to arrest his clients.
Of the two cases in which the Jamaat due sought anticipatory bail yesterday, one was filed on June 29 by Shahbagh police on charges of obstructing their work.
The other was filed with Keraniganj Police Station on December 17, 2007, by one Mozaffar Ahmed for killing his grandfather Golam Mostafa in 1971.
On June 29, police arrested Nizami, Mojahid and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee in a case filed for hurting the sentiment of the Muslims. They were later remanded and shown arrested in other cases. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=146641

2. JMB acting chief, 10 other operatives held: The Daily Star, July 14
Police arrested the acting chief and 10 operatives of banned Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from different places of Bogra, Joypurhat and Gaibandha districts Monday. Bomb-making materials, arms, and books on jihad seized in all the 3 districts.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Arifur Rahman Mondol said they arrested JMB acting chief Vagne Shahid alias Nazmul from a house near Bogra bypass area, reports our Bogra correspondent.
JMB high command appointed Shahid as the top executive of the outfit after the arrest of their chief Saidur Rahman in late May this year. Saidur took the helm of the organisation following the execution of its founding head Shaikh Abdur Rahman along with its five other kingpins in 2008.
Following Shahid’s arrest, police raided different places in Bogra and Gaibandha and detained JMB North Bengal chief Jamai Rafiq alias Shafiqul Islam, Gaibandha district chief Gias alias Rasel, Ehsar member Khairul Islam alias Shakil, Gayree Ehsar members Anwar Alam alias Army Anwar and Mohammad Abdul Majid from Gobindaganj, Gaibandha.
Police also recovered huge amount of bomb-making materials, a revolver and books on jihad from their possession.
In a separate drive Monday night, Joypurhat police arrested five members of the banned outfit from Panchbibi upazila while they were holding a meeting at a JMB member’s house.
The arrestees were identified as Tanvir Hossain alias Adnan and Al-Mamun alias Swapan, Lutfar Rahman, Reaz Uddin and Golam Mahbub. They are all from Dhaka and went to Joypurhat to attend the meeting, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.
Police seized a laptop and several compact disks containing Iraq war videos and 10 cellphone sets from their possession.
Officer-in-charge of Panchbibi Police Station Biman Chandra Karmaker said acting on a tip off, a police team raided the house of Sirajul Islam at Tajpur, a bordering village, and arrested them.
Police said an active member of JMB, Sirajul has been absconding since he was accused in charge sheet of a robbery case in 2003 in Khetlal upazila.
He is also an accused in charge sheet of the August 14, 2003 attack on a police team in Khetlal. A group of JMB leaders swooped on the team that day as it was preparing to raid a JMB den.
During the gunfight JMB men snatched three rifles from the law enforces. The criminal investigation department in Dinajpur submitted the charge sheet in connection with the attack to a Dinajpur court last month.
Police suspect the arrestees might have gathered at the house Monday night to plan a fresh attack either in the district or elsewhere in the country.
The detained were produced before a court with a prayer for seven-day remand for each yesterday afternoon. The court sent them to jail.
Joypurhat Acting Superintendent of Police Md Masrukur Rahman Khalid said security measures have been beefed up in the district after the arrest. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=146643

3. Suspected JMB man held in Jessore: The Daily Star, July 14
Police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested a suspected operative of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) at Palbari in Jessore town Tuesday midnight.
The arrestee was identified as Sakhawat Hossain, 28, son of Tofail Ahmed of Chanchara village in Sadar upazila, reports our Jessore correspondent.
Officer-in-charge Moazzem Hossain of Kotwali Police Station said they conducted the raid acting on a tip-off and arrested Sakhawat at about 11:30pm.
Police also seized two books on Jihad, 4 bullets, nearly 400 grams of white powder, some bomb-making materials and a catalog on making pistol from his possession. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=24771

4. Jamaat man arrested in C’nawabganj: The Daily Star, July 14
A local leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was arrested from Sadar upazila in Chapainawabganj early Wednesday.
The arrested was identified as Maolana Entajul Haque of Dhumi Hayatpur village in the upazila, reports our Chapainawabganj correspondent.
Entajul was a member of Sura and Working Council of Jamaat Sadar upazila unit, party sources said.
Officer-in-charge Ahsanul Haque of Sadar Police Station said police carried out the raid on Krishnagovindapur College premises after receiving information that Jamaat men were holding a ‘secret meeting’ and arrested Entajul at around 1:15am.
The other Jamaat members left the place soon after the law enforcers reached there.
Entajul has been taken for interrogation, the OC said.
Contacted over phone, Omor Faruq, publicity secretary of Jamaat district unit, claimed that police arrested Entajul from his Dhumi Hayatpur residence. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=24770