Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Miah on Sunday again claimed of ‘progress’ in the investigation of the four recent terrorist attacks targeting police in the capital. But investigation sources disclosed that they have yet to make any remarkable progress in the investigation in any of the four cases till today. No one was arrested in this connection. Police could not identify anyone even after scrutinizing so many CCTV footages.
Earlier several local and an influential foreign intelligence agency warned of terrorist attack targeting police personnel. There were several attempts to kill police personnel. Bangladesh Post also carried an exclusive report on August 9 titled ‘Security tightened for Eid’.
Quoting intelligence sources, the report said Neo JMB, a pro-Islamic State terrorist outfit, has taken preparations to carry out militant attacks in Bangladesh. The terrorists may target police personnel, their infrastructures and police vehicles. The banned Islamist terror outfit might also target airport. The militants may use Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which may be controlled by time devices or remote control devices. According to police sources, a module of the banned terrorist organisation Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo JMB), a follower of Islamic State (IS), have announced to renew their Bay’ah (loyalty) to the IS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
A Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) official said that they suspect that Bay’ah is a pledge of allegiance of the Neo JMB to the IS founder Baghdadi. Different terrorists renew their Bay’ah to IS through video message from different parts of the world confirming they are holding same ideology and working locally, said the CTTC official. After pledge of allegiance of the Neo JMB to the IS founder Baghdadi, intelligences warned of militants attacks.
Law enforcers were also working restlessly to resist the possible militant threats. But nothing could prevent the Islamist terrorist attack finally. Country had to witness several bomb attacks on police and their vehicles. Immediately after the latest terrorist attacks targeting police , militant organization IS again claimed the responsibility of Saturday night's bomb attack at Science Lab intersection in the capital Dhaka, said US-based SITE Intelligence Group on Sunday.
Two policemen, including a security detail of LGRD Minister Tazul Islam, were injured in the attack when the minister was passing through the area around 9:20 pm. The minister however was unhurt in the attack. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also said that the bomb attack on police might be a test case before carrying out any big attack in future. On July 24, DMP bomb disposal unit deactivated two bombs in city’s Khamarbari and Paltan area.
The bombs were left near the traffic police boxes at Khamarbari near Farmgate and UBL crossing at Paltan. The Middle East based extremist organisation Islamic State or IS had claimed the responsibility for the two unexploded bombs. On the last week of April this year two traffic police constables and one community traffic member were injured in a blast at Gulistan area in the city.
The improvised bomb went off, few hours after two people were killed in a blast at a suspected militant den in Dhaka. According to a statement in the Site Intelligence Group, the IS claimed the attack. The statement said: "For the first time in two years, the Islamic State claimed credit for an attack in Bangladesh, bombing policemen in the capital, Dhaka."
However, the claims made by IS has not been verified yet as no evidence has been found to back up the claim. Bangladeshi authorities always claimed that there is no existence of IS in the country. Rather, some home grown militants are trying to conduct their activities.