DHAKA, 1 December 2005 — Police in Bangladesh said yesterday they had detained 22 suspected militants following suicide bomb attacks at court buildings which killed nine people.
Among those detained were the father and two brothers of Abul Bashar, a suspected suicide bomber who was wounded in Tuesday’s blast at a police checkpoint outside a court building in the southern port city of Chittagong.
Three people died in that blast. A police officer said Bashar, who lost both legs and his right hand in the attack, had traveled to Chittagong from northern Tangail district.
“I have no remorse. I did what I was supposed to do and I did it as per the will of Allah,” police quoted Bashar as saying.
A short time later a bomber entered the court complex in Gazipur, 30 km north of Dhaka, donning a black robe to disguise himself as a lawyer, and set off the bomb strapped to his body, police and a witness said. He died along with five other people.
A total of 65 people were wounded in the two blasts, which police and lawyers said were part of a campaign by militants to scare the judiciary before it puts rebels detained for other bombings on trial.
Bangladesh has been hit this year by a wave of bombings blamed on militants demanding Shariah law in the country.
Police said yesterday’s arrests were made in northeastern Sylhet and northwestern Jaipurhat districts. They did not provide any further details.
Hundreds of people from two outlawed Muslim groups, Jamatul Mujahedeen and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, have been arrested this year.
The State Minister for Home Affairs Lutufuzzaman Babar said earlier this month that there were reports that the Jamatul Mujahedeen had set up a 2,000-strong suicide squad.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who was touring the coastal Patuakhali district when Tuesday’s bombs exploded, vowed tough action against those involved in the attacks.
“The bombers were enemies of Islam and enemies of the country. We will do everything and anything needed to stop them,” she told a rally.
Lawyers held protests and boycotted courts across the country on Wednesday, demanding action by the government.
They called for a daylong general strike today, backed by opposition political parties.
“I am afraid this is not the end of the game. We can still be their target,” said a lawyer.
“The militants are deadly and operate with strong motivation and precision,” he said, adding that he could not give his name for fear of reprisal.
