Bangladesh News

The Criminal Investigation Department yesterday arrested Moulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, founder of banned Islamist group Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji), for suspected links with the August 21 grenade blasts.

A Dhaka court placed the arrestee on a six-day remand in the afternoon.

The detention comes a week after former BNP state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar was shown arrested in the case filed for the blasts.

Queried, CID officials did not give the exact time and place of Salam’s arrest. They only said they picked him up from the city yesterday.

Meanwhile, a source close to Salam’s family claimed a team of plainclothes CID men held him Sunday afternoon on the Dhaka Judges’ Court premises where he went to appear before a court in the CPB rally blast case.

Abdul Kahar Akand, senior assistant commissioner of police and also investigation officer of the August 21 carnage case, said they made the arrest acting on the confessional statement of detained Huji leader Mufti Abdul Hannan.

In his confession, Hannan said the August 21 grenade attack was made following a decision taken at a meeting of Huji central leaders.

Akand told The Daily Star they were taking Salam on remand to quiz him about sources and suppliers of the grenades used in the August 21 attack that left at least 24 Awami League leaders and workers killed and scores injured at a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in 2004.

They would interrogate him also about those who had backed the perpetrators.

Praying for a 10-day remand for Salam at the Second Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka, CID said Hannan had disclosed that the grenade attack was made with the help of Babar and former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.

Moulana Salam was earlier arrested by CID on March 23 in connection with the blast at a CPB rally in the city on January 20, 2001. But he came out on bail on July 20.

Special Superintendent Meer Shahidul Islam of CID said they had been keeping a close watch on him since his release on bail.

Salam is now convener of Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), floated by some former Huji leaders during the last caretaker government rule.

The Election Commission last year snubbed its application for registration as a political party.

Born in Sherpur, Salam went to Afghanistan in the early 80s and returned in 1989. He studied in Kawmi madrasa in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

He led a group of Afghan War veterans to launch the Bangladesh chapter of Huji at a press conference at the National Press Club on April 30, 1992.

The militant outfit carried out several bomb and grenade attacks between 1998 and 2004. The government banned it in October 2005. The group is blacklisted also by the US and UK.

Two of Salam’s colleagues–Abu Taher and Arif Hasan Sumon–are among the 22 charge-sheeted accused in the August 21 case.

Two other Huji leaders–Moulana Monir and Hafiz Idris–were arrested for suspected involvement in militant activities but have jumped bail.

Besides, Moulana Sheikh Farid, Moulana Abdul Hye and Mufti Shafiqur Rahman–all belonging to Huji–stand accused in the Ramna Batamul blast case and are on the run.

Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday afternoon, Kahar Akand declined to speak about findings so far on the sources of the grenades and links between Huji and Babar, who too is on CID remand now.