DHAKA, 20 August 2005 — Bangladesh’s security agencies launched a massive hunt for suspects who carried out Wednesday’s bomb blasts in 63 districts of the country. They arrested 135 suspects and registered 300 cases till yesterday. The crackdown netted a number of madrasa teachers and students.

Meanwhile, two people were killed when bombs they were making exploded yesterday, police said. The bombs went off prematurely in western Meherpur district, 330 kilometers from the capital Dhaka, a police officer said. “They were making bombs on a rooftop. We are investigating the incident,” said the officer, who was unable to give their names or identities.

Some of those arrested during the crackdown, who claimed to be members of the militant group Jamaat-ul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB), were sent to Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) for further questioning.

Sources said 63 probe committees were formed headed by superintendents of police of the districts to investigate the blasts.

A madrasa student found with a video of speeches by Osama Bin Laden and military-style training techniques is among those held, police said yesterday. A number of those arrested were students or teachers from madrasas, a senior security official told AFP speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We’ve arrested three suspects including one 18-year-old madrasa student who was caught with a video which shows speeches of Bin Laden and military training strategies,” said Khan Sayeed Hasan, commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police in southwest Bangladesh.

“From the other two we found books containing training manuals,” he said, adding that all three had been transferred to the capital for further questioning.

Security was stepped up across the country after the attacks but Home Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar said the situation was now “normal”.

“We are analyzing what has happened and why,” he told ATN Bangla television.

Farrukh Ahmed, the head of the national investigation, said officers were still gathering evidence and information from the suspects who were arriving in Dhaka.

“Hopefully we will find out the culprits very soon,” said Ahmed, declining to elaborate. “We’re confident that after interrogating all the suspects from all these districts we can find the root of all this. It’s now a matter of time,” he added. Bangladesh banned two extremist groups in February including Jamaat-ul Mujahedeen, which has been linked by police to Wednesday’s bombings.