The secret channel came to order the militant attack

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has arrested four more members of the New JMB in connection with the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast targeting police in the capital's Paltan. They are members of the sleeper cell of the military wing of the new JMB. The four militants were responsible for planning and directing several attacks.

Another group of new JMBs made IEDs after receiving instructions from them on a secret internet channel. In this case, they used communication channels like telegram and wire. The information came out in the preliminary interrogation after the arrest of four militants.

The CTTC arrested the four militants from Azampur in Uttara last Thursday night. They are: Mamun Al Mujahid Sumon, Al Amin alias Abu Ziad, Mujahidul Islam Rokon alias Abu Tariq and Sarwar Hossain Rahat. They were sent to court on Friday with a 4-day remand application. Following the hearing, the court granted them a three-day remand.

A powerful IED exploded at Paltan intersection on July 24 at around 9 pm. There were no casualties as there were no people around. However, a police team was located near the spot. A case was filed at Paltan police station over the incident.

The next day at around 9:30 pm, the miscreants fled leaving a grenade-like object on a police motorcycle in Gulistan. Later, I went to the bomb disposal unit of CTTC and saw that there was no explosive inside it. CTTC officials believe there is a link between the two incidents. The militants planted the grenade-like object to create panic.

Earlier last year, five such IEDs exploded around traffic police boxes in different parts of the capital. Besides, a similar incident took place in Chittagong and two more in Khulna. In the aftermath of all these incidents, the so-called IS magazine, a militant group in the Middle East, reported to Amak that the US militant watchdog, Site Intelligence, had claimed responsibility for IS.

The CTTC later arrested members of the new JMB involved in the incidents. The CTTC then said that the militants, mainly divided into small groups (Wolf Pack), carried out the attacks targeting the police in isolation. Their goal was to hurt the morale of the police.

According to CTTC sources, the four militants of the latest arrested sleeper cell are mainly based in Gazipur. All of them live in Gazipur. They planned attacks on themselves and sent explosives to other groups. That group later made IEDs.

These IEDs were used in attacks. Among them Sumon has graduated in English Literature. The other three did not study much. Officials believe they were involved in the killing of a man in Gazipur.

Earlier, the CTTC had arrested five people from Sylhet on August 12 in connection with the blast in Paltan. They are: Sheikh Sultan Mohammad Naimuzzaman, Sanaul Islam Sadi, Rubel Ahmed, Abdur Rahim Jewel and Sayem Mirza. The five were mainly involved in the activities of the Sylhet-based neo-JMB. Sources said that the four arrested were in contact with the five last.

CTTC officials said the cell of the new JMB was headed by Naimuzzaman. They detonated bombs at a temple in Dhaka's Paltan and Naogaon. This cell of the new JMB left a bomb at Shahjalal Mazar in Sylhet. But fortunately the bomb did not explode.

Authorities expect the latest arrests of four militants to lead to more shocking information. In this regard, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of CTTC Saiful Islam said that three days remand has been granted to four militants.