Sources said, following intelligence reports that a man named Abdur Rahman might have links to the August 21 attack and might also have grenades in his possession, Battalion-1 of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), accompanied by intelligence officials, raided his house at Sector 10 in the suburban Uttara at around 3:30am.

He was caught with a foreign revolver and 13 bullets. The Rab handed him over to Uttara police and filed a case under the Arms Act.

According to sources, examining video footages the three Interpol staffs tasked with probing into the August 21 carnage found movements of two men at the AL public meeting suspicious and asked local intelligence agencies to inquire about them. Rahman might be one of the two, they added.

But Commanding Officer of Rab Battalion-1 Lt Colonel Choudhury Fazlul Bari last night denied the Interpol suspicion and told The Daily Star Rahman was nabbed on information of his possessing illegal arms.

On whether they quizzed Rahman on possession of grenade or about sources of them, Bari said, "After the August 21 blast, whomever we arrest we ask those questions."

Police will produce Rahman before court today with prayer for remand to interrogate him.

INTERPOL PROBE

The three-member Interpol team is scrutinising police and media records on the suspects in the major bomb and grenade blasts in the country in the recent years and gathering information about their present status and movement.

Yesterday, the international policemen spent the morning in their hotel rooms and went to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in the afternoon, where they had long discussion sessions with local investigators.

The Interpol investigators are collecting photographs and evidences on the suspects and checking from the video footages and photos whether there is any one common in the incidents.

They are also collecting detailed profiles of the organisations, including the Islamic fundamentalist and militant groups, suspected to have links with any of the blasts, besides trying to find which of them have connections with international militant organisations.

"The probe has really gained a momentum," said a local investigator, requesting not to be named, adding soon they would start conducting raids in various places.

FBI PROBE

Meanwhile, the lone Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, Gibson Wilson, who had come to probe the August 21 attack, left Bangladesh after a three-day stint Friday.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shahudul Haque however told The Daily Star last night, "I don't have any knowledge whether the FBI agent left the country or not."

Wilson reportedly came only to examine the bulletproof vehicle of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, which was hit by seven bullets during the August 21 assassination attempt. He collected evidences from the car and sent them to US for laboratory tests.

JUDICIAL PROBE

The one-member judicial commission assigned by the government to probe the carnage yesterday recorded statements of 17 witnesses.

The commissioner, Justice M Joynul Abedin, recorded deposition of four being treated at Holy Family Hospital and seven at Shikder Medical College Hospital. Statements of six others were taken at the commission office at Kakrail.

Sources at the commission office said they so far have recorded statements of 60 witnesses.