Bombs in neo-JMB bags; 'PT' used for communication, special app for money transfer

Following a series of recoveries of bombs and explosives in Savar, law enforcement agencies have obtained new information about a network affiliated with the banned militant organisation neo-JMB. Investigators have found that members of the network generally use obscure websites and apps to communicate with one another and conduct financial transactions.

Based on information obtained from a recently arrested member, law enforcement agencies have also learned new details about the group’s movements, methods of carrying bombs, and tactics for carrying out attacks.

Sources involved in the investigation said that information about neo-JMB members’ communication and financial transactions was obtained while interrogating Mohammad Arif, who was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Hemayetpur, Savar.

Police said that the arrested Mohammad Arif is a member of the banned militant organisation neo-JMB.

According to the source involved in the investigation, Arif told interrogators that they used a website called Protected Text, or PT, to communicate with one another and an app called Element to conduct financial transactions.

A source in the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that similarities have also been found in the movements of Arif and others whose names have emerged in similar recent incidents. They generally travel carrying backpacks. The bags contain bombs, firearms, knives, and machetes. The source said that if they encounter a search or security check somewhere, they immediately attack with the weapons or bombs and flee.

A police source said that Mohammad Arif, a member of neo-JMB, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Hemayetpur, Savar. Five bombs and three knife-like bombs were found in a bag he was carrying. All five of the bombs had been made using GI pipes. Various materials used to make bombs were also recovered from him.

Following Arif’s arrest, police raided a three-story house in the South Shyampur area of Savar on Tuesday night based on information he provided. They recovered 11 pipe bombs (IEDs) along with a large quantity of explosive materials. Police filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Savar Police Station, naming six people, including Arif, as accused.

CTTC officials said that various types of explosive materials were recovered from the house along with the pipe bombs. Some of these explosives appeared to be unfamiliar to the police. Chemical tests are being conducted to identify their types and components.

The day after Arif’s arrest, on Wednesday, a “pressure-cooker” bomb wrapped in duct tape was found inside a blue plastic drum in the grounds of a mosque in the Sadhapur area of Savar. A bomb-disposal unit of the CTTC later traveled from Dhaka to the scene and safely neutralized the bomb.

Police filed a case at Savar Police Station following the recovery of bombs on two consecutive days.

Savar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Alam said that a court had granted six days’ remand for Arif for questioning. However, the case has since been transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Unit. The case documents, along with the accused, have also been handed over to the unit.

Sources involved in the investigation said that similarities have also been found among bombs recovered in several recent incidents. Bombs recovered from inside an umbrella beneath the Motijheel Metro Rail Station and a pressure-cooker bomb recovered from a grocery shop in Ashulia were made using similar explosive materials, ball bearings, and circuit switches.

The sources involved in the investigation claim that the bombs contained an explosive substance called triacetone triperoxide (TATP). This can explode when exposed to heat, friction, impact, or movement.
Investigators are closely examining the use of similar materials in multiple incidents. They suspect that there may be an organisational link between these incidents.

Meanwhile, police said they have identified one of the people involved in an attack on police at a checkpoint in the Kutubkhali area of Jatrabari in the capital on 21 February.

A source involved in the investigation said that a young man named Rakib stabbed a police officer during the incident. Efforts are underway to arrest him.

A CTTC source said that following a devastating explosion at a madrasa in South Keraniganj in February last year, around 10 more incidents have occurred in different parts of the country in which the involvement of Neo-JMB members has been found.

Sources involved in the investigation said that information linking the same five people to each of the incidents has emerged. They are Mamun, alias Bomaru Mamun; Sheikh Al Amin; Mohammad Arif; Rakib; and Bappi.
Investigators said that among them, fugitive Mamun is leading this Neo-JMB group. Sheikh Al Amin and Mohammad Arif have been arrested. Bappi is also on the run, and efforts are underway to arrest him.