District JMB Ameer Nasir Uddin alias Arif arrested on Sunday told interrogators eight months into Bangla Bhai's visit, JMJB spiritual leader Abdur Rahman made a follow-up visit to enquire about their operatives' activities.

Meanwhile, police arrested 12 more August 17 blasts suspects including two Indians in different parts of the country in the last 24 hours ending at 8:00pm yesterday. But the government is yet to identify the masterminds of the bombings.

An investigator, now interrogating Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) district Ameer Nasir, said it is is not the arrestee's real name.

He however refused to disclose the real name for the sake of investigation.

Nasir has not given details or even the name of his leader, and is saying he only knows JMB members of his same tyre.

"I can identify if I see them, I don't know their names and addresses," the investigator quoted Nasir as saying.

Meantime, two of the seven people arrested in Delduar in Tangail on Saturday admitted to being involved in the district's blasts.

Moulana Fariduddin Masud was again placed on an eight-day remand after he was hauled before a court yesterday following prolonged quizzing over the serial bombings.

Our Satkhira correspondent reports: Police arrested Indian citizen Gias Uddin, 38, one of the most wanted suspects in Satkhira, in Kalaroa Bazar at 12:15pm yesterday.

Hailing from Nityanandakati village in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Gias along with his family lives in a rented house in Kadamtala near the town.

Also a local leader of the banned JMB, Gias told police he was tasked with blasting bombs at Satkhira bus terminal.

Police sources said Gias passed school final examination from India and had been a private tutor before he came to Bangladesh in early 1990's and married a local woman in Kalaroa.

He served as an Imam at Kashempur Ahle Hadith Mosque, but the mosque committee sacked him in 2002 learning his link to religious extremists.

The sources said Gias joined the JMB after he came in contact with its chief Abdur Rahman in 2001.

Another Indian national arrested on August 23 but released for unknown reasons was again held yesterday, reports our Gaibandha correspondent.

Police said Sayel Hossain, 35, a resident of Kaliganj village in Ranaghat in West Bengal, entered Bangladesh on August 3 without passport and visited different shrines.

Our court correspondent adds: Former Islamic Foundation director Moulana Fariduddin Masud was again placed on remand on expiry of his five-day remand.

Airport Police produced him before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka seeking a 10-day remand.

The investigation officer (IO) told the court Masud has direct link to the serial explosions and he withdrew crores of taka from his bank accounts before August 17.

Moreover, he needs to be quizzed further for information about the tran-sactions of his accounts, the IO said.

Masud told the court he has always worked for peace and prosperity of the country. "I've taken part in an anti-terrorism conference in England and delivered speeches on the issue on several occasions. I'm also author of several books against terrorism."

UNB from Naogaon reports: Police arrested two more suspects -- Abul Kalam Azad, 45, and Abdul Majid Master, 35, -- in Manda upazila yesterday. The police said they are active JMB members.

Our Tangail correspondent adds: Two out of seven arrestees admitted their link to the JMB, saying they had training at Delduar stadium a few months ago.

Police interrogating the two -- Mohammad Yasin, 18, a muezzin, and Rahmatullah alias Mamun, 25, -- said they are well trained and remain tight-lipped. They are facing a seven-day remand.

The police said they have released five others yesterday as allegations against them were not proved.

Locals said the JMB chief and his brother Ataur Rahman, chief of JMB military wing, used to visit about 50 madrasas in Delduar.

They said militants started their activities centring Barapakhia Charpara Madrasa, while its teacher, Harun, was the organiser of the JMB activities in Delduar.

The officer-in-charge of Delduar Police Station said they are hunting for Khaled Siddique of Singharaji village. Under Khaled's leadership an experimental explosion was carried out at Nagarpur on June 13.

Meantime, police in mid-June took two alleged militants to a court showing them arrested in a robbery case, though they were nabbed from Delduar for their militant activities and possessing bombs and arms.

One of them has already gone into hiding after obtaining bail from the court.

Police said locals of Tarabari in Nagarpur held the two -- Mainul Islam Ranga Miah, 25, of Bogra and Mesbaul Salehin Razan, 24, of Sherpur -- following two explosions and turned them in to police.

Our Khulna correspondent adds: Police arrested Ahle Hadith Andolan, Bangladesh (Ahab) leader Zafarullah in Bamandanga village in Rupsha upazila on Sunday.

Bagerhat police arrested JMB leaders Abul Kuddus, superintendent of Dighra Dakhil Madrasa in Mongla, and Siddiqur Rahman in Sharankhola upazila the same day.

Ahab leader Golam Moktadir Babu, Abul Kalam Azad and Mujibur Rahman were sent back to Khulna after being quizzed at Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC). Police sent them to jail showing them arrested in the August 17 blasts case.

BDNEWS reports from Panchagarh: Police arrested two more suspects -- Md Badiuzzaman, 32, superintendent of Panchagarh Satmera Darulfalah Dakhil Madrasa, and Khalilur Rahman Pradhan alias Khalil Pradhan -- on Sunday night.

In Bandarban, mysterious leaflets were circulated by post in the name of Bangladesh Islam Rakkha Parishad yesterday, according to the news agency.

The handbills headlined "To the activists of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh" urged the young to join armed struggle.

UNB reports from Bogra: Police last night arrested three people -- Abu Bakkar Siddique, Faruq, and Ziaur Rahman -- from Chakdhonai village on the outskirts of the town.

Police told the news agency the detained teacher of Nurzahan Aliya Madrasa, Abdul Matin, and Imam of Chhatil mosque Raihanur Rahman admitted that they are JMB members.

GOVT YET TO GET AT THE ROOT
A government spokesman yesterday admitted that they are yet to dig out the root of the August 17 bombing though some grassroots activists were arrested.

"It was not possible for us to go to the root of the attack," Mohammad Mohsin, joint secretary (political) of the home ministry, said at a regular press briefing.

Those who have confessed to their involvement in the blasts are 'base-level workers,' Mohsin told journalists at the ministry.

He said six members of JMB have revealed some names including their leaders, which cannot be disclosed for the sake of the investigation.

The joint secretary said some important information is likely to be retrieved from a member who is learnt to be a leader of the upper tier.

He said 169 people have so far been arrested in connection with the blasts.

As many as 41 were brought to the JIC and 16 of them are still being quizzed at the cell, while the rest have been sent back.

He said six -- four from Satkhira and two from Kushtia -- of the arrestees admitted to their involvement in the August 17 attack.