MORE JMB ARRESTS AND SEIZURES

S E C R E T DHAKA 000080

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL KISL BG
SUBJECT: MORE JMB ARRESTS AND SEIZURES

REF: A. DHAKA 66

B. DHAKA 44

C. DHAKA 41

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis; reason 1.4(d).


1. (SBU) Local media report that the Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) used confessions from Hasan Ali (alias Hridoy) and
Shoeb (alias Jahir Nuruzzaman or Zahir Nuruzzaman),who were
arrested January 10 (ref B),to raid another Jamaatul
Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB) house on January 12 in Karatia
Bazar in Sadar upazila, Tangail (approximately 50 km
northeast of Dhaka). The home was rented by Selim Miah
(Alias Babu),who managed to escape arrest during the raid.


2. (SBU) The new arrestee is identified as "Arman," a
25-year-old son of Liakat Khan of Hilara Abadari village in
Mirzapur upazila. RAB reportedly seized bomb-making
materials and other items at the house, including 800 grams
of lead nitrate (a component for detonators),500 grams of
zinc oxide, 100 grams of carbon powder, 53 audio cassettes,
16 circuit boards, 11 film negatives, three cartridges,
masks, and a mobile phone. Arman is in police custody at the
Tangail Sadar police station.


3. (SBU) In a separate action, RAB, acting on a tip-off,
arrested three JMB activists in Rangpur on January 13 and
recovered 56 500-gram Power Gel explosive packs. The three
arrestees are Hosen Ali and Mojibor Miah, and Abul Khaer of
Khoddo Tampat in Sadar upazila.


4. (S) Media reports link the January 7, 10, and 12 arrests
to information derived from Abdul Rahman, arrested December

29. At this time, however, Post can only confirm that the
January 12 raid stemmed from the January 10 arrests and that
the December 30 raids and January 7 arrests stemmed from the
December 29 arrests (refs B and C.) The January 13 action in
Rangpur does not appear related to the other actions.


5. (SBU) JMB's stated goals continue to be: disrupting
national elections because democracy is an alien, Western
concept; forcing the release or stay of execution of the
seven senior JMB leaders sentenced to death for the 2005
bombing campaign; combating institutions like the judiciary
that perpetuate non-Islamic concepts; and implementation of a
severe form of sharia law.

COMMENT


6. (S) At this point, it is unclear whether the new JMB
arrests reflect resurgent terrorist activity or what their
actual targets or objectives might be. The good news is that
government security forces were apparently not so distracted
by the current political crisis that they neglected their
counterterrorist mission. We are in close touch with
government authorities to encourage appropriate follow-up
action and to share information with us fully and promptly.
We will report developments as they occur.
BUTENIS