Official sources said the district committee on sensational cases, after reviewing the charge sheet yesterday, extended the time for investigation to include in it two freshly arrested militants and a statement of a police official.

But responsible sources said the extension came amid huge pressure on the local administration to withdraw the names of some militant leaders belonging to Asadullah Al Galib's Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (Ahab).

Abdullah Al Azad Chowdhury, superintendent of police (SP) in Joypurhat, denied the allegations and said,"The time was extended just to make things stronger in the charge sheet."

He said two more militants, Habibur Rahman Habi and Afaz Uddin Poheli, who were arrested yesterday, have confessed their involvement in the blasts.

"They said they had a trial run of detonating bombs in the run-up to the countrywide explosions and that's why their statements are important."

A highly placed police official, however, said Joypurhat police had already 'more than enough evidence to explain clearly the blasts'.

"The implication of the new arrestees and recording of a police statement are mere excuses. These could easily be done during or before trial," he added.

Meanwhile, Jamir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Joypurhat Sadar Police Station, in the charge sheet (that was placed in a review meeting) accused 25 militants by name and some other unidentified people of staging seven blasts at four points across the town.

Eighteen of the 27 people arrested so far in connection with the blasts in Joypurhat are among the 25 identified accused in the charge sheet. The seven others are militants on the run.

Of the arrestee accused, rickshaw-puller Ataur Rahman, Dulal, Ahab adherents Azizul Bari Mintu, Jahangir Alam, Rabiul Islam gave statements before magistrates under Section 164.

The others are chief of Ahab's cultural wing Al Hera Shilpi Gosthi Shafikul Islam, Majnu Mia, madrasa teacher Mehdi Hasan, Dulal Hossain, Hafez Shafikul Islam, Mozammel Haque, Idris Ali, Abdul Jabbar, Aminul Islam, Ziaur Rahman, Reduan Bari, Mustafizur Rahman, and Selim.

Militants accused in the charge sheet but still at large include Ahab finance secretary Hafizar Rahman, Montezar Rahman and Golam Mostafa.

A local ruling alliance lawmaker was reportedly busy in last-minute lobbying for the exclusion of Ahab leaders Hafizar Rahman and Shafikul Islam from the charge sheet. He earlier had sought to drop the names of some other Ahab activists from the charge sheet.

Azizul Bari Mintu in his confessional statement said that 10 people were involved in seven blasts at four places in the district and Ahab leader Hafizar Rahman masterminded the blasts.

He also said that the bombs were distributed from an Ahab mosque.

Hafizar, also the superintendent of Sikta Madrasa in Kalai upazila went into hiding after extorting some Tk 50,000 from local businessmen on August 14, three days before the bombings.

As he was avoiding capture, he had recently submitted an application to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), seeking several months' leave. The application had attached to it a recommendation of the ruling BNP lawmaker Abu Yusuf Khalilur Rahman.

The UNO was stand-released for not granting him the leave.

Allegations have it that he used to train students in arms operation in a place near his madrasa and had been capturing the Tawhid Trust assets in Joypurhat.

KHULNA
Shahidul alias Lokman alias Shahidullah, a top cadre of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was brought to Khulna District Jail from Dhaka on Friday midnight.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested him on September 8 at a house in Bashabo in connection with the August 17 explosions in Khulna city.

Shahidul, who hails from Mollahat upazila of Bagerhat, has been shown arrested in a case filed with Khulna Police Station for exploding bombs on the premises of Khulna Judges' Court and the Court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on August 17.

He has given a statement to the Court of CMM, Dhaka, confessing his role in the blast incident.

An activist of banned JMB, Shahidul was arrested a few years back at Jhikergachha upazila of Jessore while on his way to Khulna with arms and explosives.

But he came out on bail three months after the arrest.

The arrestee during interrogation in Khulna yesterday told police that he had met Shayekh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai in Khulna and Dhaka several times over the last two years.

Sub Inspector (SI) Shafiqul of Khulna, who is in the charge of probing the Khulna Judges' Court blast, said Shahidul has named three others of Khulna city to be among the masterminds behind the near-simultaneous blasts across the country.

The SI, however, declined to disclose the names in the interest of the investigation.

Shahidul told police yesterday that the bombs he had planted in the Khulna court area were detonated by remote control device.

Meanwhile, Bagerhat police on Friday arrested two persons, suspecting them to be JMB activists. The two were identified as Moulana Mizanur Rahman, principal of Rajpat Alia Madrasa at Molahat upazila, and Shaikh Iran Mowla, son of a teacher of the same madrasa.

The arrestees have told police about a training camp at Mollahat that was visited by Bangla Bhai in 2003.

SYLHET
Our staff correspondent from Sylhet reports: Another JMB man named Abdul Hai yesterday afternoon gave a confessional statement before a magistrate court admitting to taking part in the 17 August bomb blasts in Sylhet.

Acting on information provided by JMB activist Mohsin Khan, Police on Tuesday held Hye, a teacher of the Sengram Mohammadia Madrasa of Jaintapur upazila.

Son of Abdul Maleque Master, he hails from village Asadnagar under Brahmanpara upazila of Comilla.

Hye in his statement said two death-squad members of JMB, identifying themselves as Murad and Delwar, came to Sylhet on 16 August and gave detailed instructions on the 'August 17 mission'. He said he was tasked with staging a blast at Ambarkhana while Mohsin Khan was tasked with a blast on the Judges' and ADM Court premises.

Mohsin is the nephew of Abdul Quader, the JMB leader caught in the capital, he said, adding that Mohsin brought him to Sylhet from Comilla just a few months ago.

He said both he and Mohsin are believers in Ahle Hadith.

In the statement given before Magistrate Habibur Rahman, Hye also divulged the names of some others who helped stage the 17 August explosions, an official said.

SATKHIRA
Our correspondent from Satkhira adds: A case was filed with Sadar Police Station yesterday, accusing 11 detained local JMB leaders and activists of being involved in militancy.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam Mohammad filed the case accusing the JMB cadres under section 20(3) of the special power Act of 1974.

The 11, who are also accused of taking part in the countrywide explosions, were arrested soon after the terrorist attacks in the district.