Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B): 2000-2012

2012

May 27: Abu Hena Md Yusuf, inspector of CID said that BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman assured HuJI chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and his associates that he would arrange a safe passage out of the scene once they carried out the grenade attack on an AL rally in 2004. Twenty-four AL leaders and workers were killed and 300 others were injured in the grenade attack on the AL rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on August 21, 2004.

May 23: HuJI-B which operates largely in Bihar, West Bengal and the north eastern states of India has been conducting meetings to recruit women and train them in order to carry out terror activities in India. The HuJI already has a lot of camps in India. In addition to this it has a dedicated set of touts who help ferry across their cadres between Bangladesh and India.

February 13: RAB arrested an alleged operative of banned outfit HuJI from Pabahati village in Sadar sub-district of Jhenidah District. The arrestee, Shaheen Mahmud (46) is a Khulna regional leader of the outfit. The RAB members seized 20 books on jihad, 13 leaflets, a foreign ID card and a passport from his possession. The arrestee was involved in serial bomb explosions on 21 August.

2011

December 13: Three former CID officials and a HuJI-B leader, Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, appealed to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 to discharge them from the August 21, 2004 Grenade Attack Case.

November 13: Arif Hasan Suman, leader of banned militant outfit (HuJI-B), appealed to Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 to discharge him of the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases.

October 30: Four more accused, including Islamic Democratic Party Ameer Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, HuJI-B leaders Mufti Mohibur Rahman alias Muhibullah, brother of HuJI-B Chief, Abdul Hannan Sabbir and Maulana Yahiya, appealed to Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 to be discharged of the August 21, 2004 Grenade Attack cases.

October 23: HuJI-B leader Moulana Abu Taher's counsel also appealed to the Speedy Trail Tribunal-1 to discharge his client from the August 21, 2004 Grnade Attack Case charges.

October 17: The counsel of Lieutenant Commander (retired) Saiful Islam Duke, nephew of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, appealed to a Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 to discharge his client from the charges of 21 August, 2004 Grenade Attack Cases. Opposing the defence plea, the prosecution said Duke helped HuJI-B leader Moulana Tajuddin, brother of detained BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu, flee from the country after committing the offences.

October 13: A special tribunal in Brahmanbaria District sentenced six militants of the banned Islamist outfit HuJI-B to various terms of imprisonment in four separate cases. The convicts were identified as Shamsul Islam Mollah, Musa Miah, Maulana Hedayetullah, Saiful Islam Sajib alias Saifullah ,Jamal Miah and Mizanur Rahman. They were arrested on April 13, 2008 in the District town along with cocktails and bomb-making materials.

September 29: BNP has demanded that the names of its senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and other opposition leaders be dropped from the two cases filed over the August 21, 2004 grenade attack. The party said its detained leaders and activists "implicated" in the cases must be released immediately, as HuJI-B 'chief' Mufti Abdul Hannan, prime accused in the cases, stated that he doesn't know Tarique or other BNP leaders.

September 27: HuJI-B 'chief' Abdul Hannan submitted a petition for withdrawal of his confessional statement given on April 7 this year saying that he was tortured to give it. But Judge Shahed Nuruddin of the tribunal, however, did not pass any order on the petition.

August 23: Mohammad Yahiya, the suspected 'chief' of the banned Islamist terror outfit, (HuJI-B) has made confession in an anti-terrorism case. Judge Billal Hossain of the Second Judicial Magistrate's Court recorded his statement in the case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and ordered him to jail. Yahiya, arrested on August 18, is also accused in cases over the Aug 21, 2004 Grenade Attack on an Awami League rally, Ramna Batamul blast in 2001 and planting a bomb at a rally venue of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, then leader of the opposition, in 2000.

August 22, 2011: August 21 supplementary charge sheet reveals how grisly grenade attack was carried out with the help of Administration, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), Police and then ruling alliance leaders. Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) leaders Julfikar Ali Manik and Chaitanya Chandra Halder met Tarique Rahman few days before the August 21 Grenade Attack in 2004 and got the go-ahead to stage the blasts.

August 18, 2011: Moulana Yahiya, the newly appointed Ameer (Chief) of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B),was arrested along with his two accomplices at Bhairab in Kishoreganj District. Yahiya was wanted in August 21 grenade attack, Ramna Batamul blasts and Kotalipara bomb planting cases.

August 11: Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge in Dhaka City gave an order to its administration to publish an advertisement asking Tarique Rahman senior Vice-Chairman of BNP and 11 others to surrender before the court by August 25 in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case. If the accused fail to surrender by the deadline, trial against them will continue in their absence, the court said. The order was passed under the Explosives Substances Act. During yesterday's hearing, 31 accused, including Lutfozzaman Babar, former State Minister for Home, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Secretary General, and (HuJI-B Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, were hauled before the Court. Another accused, Ariful Islam Arif, a ward councillor of Dhaka City Corporation who is out on bail, was also present. The Court also rejected bail petition of HuJI-B leader Sheikh Farid and Abu Taher.

July 22: Indian security agencies believe that the mastermind of the recent Mumbai blast (July 13, 2011), Abdullah Khan of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) is hiding in Bangladesh. His movements had been tracked over the past few months by the National Investigation Agency. Khan is now operating the IM module which is assigned to maintain liaison with the Bangladesh based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) and in a joint venture, has recruited a few new jihadists for their outfit. Investigators said about six months ago, Khan was stationed in Nepal and shuttled between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The IM had started conducting training camps in Bangladesh.

July 21: A dossier obtained by central intelligence agencies through joint efforts with international agencies revealed that 50 Indian nationals of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka and Bihar have received training at terror camps in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. According to the dossier majority of these individuals were from Assam and West Bengal, which, in addition to Bihar are the new hubs for recruitment of terrorists. Sources claimed that these men had fanned out across cities in India, where they were masquerading as religious clerics, and recruiting fresh faces into terrorism. In this regard, the name of a key link between the Bangladeshi group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh (HuJI-B) and members of Indian Mujahedeen (IM), identified as Jalaluddin Mullah alias Babu Bhai, has caught the attention of teams investigating the Mumbai serial blasts (13/7). Jalaluddin is a resident of South-24 Parganas District of West Bengal and is currently lodged in a prison in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

July 14: A Dhaka Court issued arrest warrants against Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and 11 others in the August 21, 2004 Grenade Attack Case filed under the Explosive Substances Act. Police produced former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, former BNP Deputy Minister Abdus Salam Pintu, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and 25 others before the Court.

July 3: A Bangladeshi Court issued arrest warrants for the fugitive eldest son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman (46) and 17 others over August 21, 2004 Grenade Attack on an Awami League (AL) rally that killed 24 people and injured some 300 people, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Moreover, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also formally charged Rahman, the Senior Vice President of BNP, and 29 others of the attack after an "extended investigation" into the case. The Special Superintendent of CID, Abdul Kahhar Akhand said their re-investigations suggested that operatives of militant Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) carried out the attack, which was backed by former State Minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babar, Khaleda Zia's Political Secretary Haris Chowdhury, former minister and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leader Ali Ahsan Mujaheed and incumbent BNP lawmaker fugitive Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad.

The HuJI-B leaders and operatives named in the charge-sheet included Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam who later floated a new outfit called Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), Maulana Abdul Malek, Maulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid and Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Ratul Babu and Indian national and Pakistan- based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) leader Abdul Majed Bhat.

Further, the Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu said the grenades used in the attack came from Pakistan. According to CID investigation, HuJI-B used grenades in several attacks before and after the August 21 attack from a cache it was supposed to transport to Jammu and Kashmir for LeT. The LeT high-ups in Pakistan had sent the cache to Bangladesh to despatch it to their men in Kashmir through Satkhira Border. The cache of 32 grenades, which the HuJI-B received in Chittagong, rested in Bangladesh for a while before those were used in different major attacks.

June 29: The Prime Minister has said apart from banning five organisations for militant activities, the Government is closely watching some other suspected organisations. She stated, "that acts of militancy and terrorism will not be allowed on the soil of the country". The five banned militant organisations are Shahadat-e-al-Hikma Bangladesh, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh [(JMJB), an Islamist vigilante outfit that espouses the ideals of the Taliban], Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI-B) and Hizb-ut-Tahrir Bangladesh.

June 21: The Habiganj Court is expected to indict a former influential junior minister in the 2005 murder of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria who was killed in a grenade attack A Police Spokesman said, "We have submitted the supplementary chargesheet as the re-investigations found 14 people, including (detained former state minister) Lutfuzzaman Babar and (militant kingpin) militant kingpin Mufti Hannan involved in the murder," CID officials said their extended investigation into the case found 14 people, mostly operatives of HuJI-B operatives, along with Babar to be involved in the murder. Of the 14 accused, nine were already in jail to face the murder trial as they were arrested in course of the probe while eight out of previous 10 accused too were in prisons.

June 20: Police have formally charged 14 more people, including ex-state minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar and HuJI-B leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, with the killing of Former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria of AL in a grenade attack on January 27, 2005. Police investigator submitted the supplementary charge sheet to the court of Judicial Magistrate Rajib Kumar Biswas in Habiganj town after an expanded probe into the 2005 killing that occurred in Kibria's home District, Habiganj.

May 31: Khulna Divisional Speedy Trail Tribunal has sentenced six militants of HuJI-B to rigorous imprisonment in a case filed against them under Explosive Substances Act.

May 26: RAB neutralised a HuJI-B hideout at Kalma of Ashulia, in Dhaka District and recovered 16 handmade bombs, 24 cocktails and a hoard of bomb-making chemicals.

The Investigation Officer of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said in Metropolitan Court that acting 'chief of' HuJI-B Abdul Hannan Sabbir and his accomplices attempted to kill Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina and her party leaders before the 21 August grenade attacks in 2004.

May 25: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two militants of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), identified as Mohammad Abdus Salam (39) 'secretary' of Sylhet District unit and Mohammad Ashraful Islam (30) 'secretary' of Ishwardi sub-district unit of Pabna District from Savar sub-district in Dhaka District.

May 22: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a suspected militant, identified as Mohammad Obaidullah (40) of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) and seized a few books on jihad in Sadar sub-district of Pabna District.

May 17: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a suspected operative, identified as Abdul Alim alias Hakim (45) of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), and recovered arms, explosives and bomb making materials from Jhenidah District. Recoveries included two live bombs, half kilogram of gunpowder, two magazines, cartridge making equipment, bomb making materials, batteries of mobile phones and eight books on jihad. Earlier in 1998, he was arrested along with firearms and bomb making materials from Jibonnagar sub-district of Chuadanga District but was later released on bail.

May 16: Maulana Sheikh Farid alias Shawkat Osman, a leader of Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), has disclosed names of his accomplices who were involved in the bomb attack on a Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally May 16, 2001. He was earlier remanded in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case. During his remand period, Farid disclosed several names of his accomplices who were also involved with the bomb attack at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka on January 20, 2001.

May 10: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official has told Dhaka Metropolitan Court that Maulana Sheikh Farid, a leader of banned outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), was involved in the bomb attack on a Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally in the capital Dhaka on January 20, 2001.

Separately, Vice-Chairman of Al Markajul Islami, an NGO, Mufti Abdur Rashid, who was arrested in August 21 grenade attack case and later released by CID confessed before a Dhaka Court on May 9 that HuJI-B leaders visited Hawa Bhaban in Banani, Dhaka several times using their ambulances and the Islamic NGO funded the HuJI-B activities. According to the sources, Rashid in the statement said, before the attack he accompanied HuJI-B leaders Abdus Salam, Mufti Hannan, Abu Taher, Sheikh Farid and Sabbir when they went to Hawa Bhaban. Rashid, hailing from Gopalganj District, stayed at Karachi New Town Madrasa in Pakistan from 1985 to 1997.

May 8: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel arrested Moulana Abdul Rashid, Vice-Chairman of non-governmental organisation Al Markajul Islami Bangladesh, from his office in Dhaka’s Shyamoli with links to the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004. The CID detained Rashid on information from Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) leader Moulana Sheikh Farid, who is now on remand.

May 5: An investigation officer (IO) of 21 August Grenade Attack case told a Dhaka Court that Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) leader Maulana Sheikh Farid was directly involved with the attack on an Awami League (AL) rally in 2004. Moreover, he will be cross-examined with another HuJI-B leader Mufti Abdul Hannan Sabbir, now on remand in the case filed for bomb blasts on a rally of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) at Paltan Maidan (Dhaka city) on January 20, 2001. The Court granted a four-day remand for further investigation.

May 3: Acting chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) Abdul Hannan Sabbir was remanded for five days to gather information from him to find out whereabouts of others who were involved with bomb blasts on a rally of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) at Paltan (Dhaka city) in 2001.

April 28: A Dhaka court placed Rahmatullah alias Sheikh Farid, a leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), on a seven-day remand for interrogation in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in 2004, reports Daily Star. Meanwhile, HuJI-B Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and one of his accomplices Abu Zandal were sent to jail after CID produced them before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ismail Hossain on completion of their one-day remand in Azizur Rahma abduction case. They were earlier remanded on several days in the same case filed on September 23, 2003. 

April 26: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested one of the most wanted leaders of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) Rahmatullah alias Sheikh Farid alias Shawkat Osman (47) Tongi Railway Station area of Gazipur District. Farid was playing a vital role to reunite Afghan War participants with some other top leaders of HuJI-B for the last few years, sources in Security Forces (SFs) stated.

According to RAB, he is accused in four cases, two for Ramna Batamul carnage in April 2001, one for a grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21 in 2004 and the other for planting a 76 kilogrammes bomb near Sheikh Hasina's rally venue in Kotalipara in 2000. RAB claimed that Farid was acting as the HuJI-B ameer (chief) and under his leadership the outfit was reuniting and recruiting members through its District and different madrassa units. He had also served HuJI-B as the ‘general secretary’ and organising secretary and ameer of Dhaka and Chittagong District units.

Regarding HuJI-B funding, Farid told that they get financial aid from some 3,000-4,000 associates working in different countries of the Middle East. Afghan War veteran Farid is trained to operate anti-aircraft missile, tank and other sophisticated weapons. He also fought against Myanmar forces for the Arakan Muslims in 1995-96. Farid went into hiding after law enforcers started reinvestigation into different bomb and grenade attacks that saw arrest of a number of HuJI-B leaders including its former chairman Abdus Salam.

April 26: Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and one of his accomplices were taken on fresh remand for one day in connection with abduction of a physician in September 2003. Nayeb-e-Ameer of HuJI-B Abdul Hannan Sabbir and his accomplice Ainul Haque were interrogated for five days each in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

April 25: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) cadres, including its acting ‘Chief’ Abdul Hannan Sabbir from a hideout at Keraniganj in Dhaka District. Sabbir (51) is an accused in carrying out bomb attacks on an Udichi programme in Jessore and a Pahela Baishakh celebrations event at Ramna Batamul, The other arrestee Ainul Haq (28) was coordinating recruitment and secret training of HUJI-B militants. Sabbir was also sued in a case filed for planting a 76 kilogram bomb at Sheikh Hasina's rally venue at Kotalipara in Gopalganj in 2000. The law enforcers also recovered some compact disks (CDs), a bomb-making manual and organisational books of the outfit. Commander M Sohail, Director of Legal and Media Wing of RAB stated, "HUJI-B members were visiting different madrasas to recruit members and impart training to them. Analysis of such activities suggests they were planning to carry out subversive activities". According to confessions made by already arrested HUJI-B leaders, the militants are responsible for more than 20 bomb and grenade attacks since 1999 that killed over 100 persons.

April 20: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) got 25 days more to complete further investigation into one of the two cases filed for the grenade attacks on Awami League (AL) rally on August 21, 2004. With this, the CID has been given 21 months and 10 days in nine phases for investigating the case filed under the Explosive Substances Act. Meanwhile, the murder case filed for the August 21 grenade attack is now pending with the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in Dhaka. The former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar, Dhaka City Corporation Ward Councilor Ariful Islam Arif, Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) leader Abdul Majid Butt alias Abu Yusuf Butt, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) leader Maulana Abdur Rouf and four others were shown arrested following further investigation into the cases.

April 12: In aCourt trial of Ramna Batamul Blast case, ten years have gone by and the trials are yet to be completed. During the celebration of Bengali New Year, in 2001, the blast killed 10 people. One of the trial remains stuck as the Supreme Court registrar is yet to give his opinion on whether the trials of both cases could be held in the same court. Ironically, the case filed under Explosive Substances Act (ESA) is pending with the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Dhaka.

Seven and a half years after the incident, during the immediate past caretaker rule, the investigators found Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) links to the blast. Criminal Investigation Department pressed charges against 14 members of banned militant outfit HuJI-B on December 30, 2008. The charge-sheeted accused are top leaders of HuJI-B including top leaders Mufti Abdul Hannan, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Moulana Yahiya, Mufti Abdul Hye, Moulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Moulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Hawlader, Moulana Mohammad Tajuddin, Moulana Abdul Hannan Sabbir, Arif Hasan Suman, Moulana Akbar Hossain alias Helaluddin, Moulana Abu Taher, Moulana Abdur Rouf, Hafez Jahangir Alam Badar and Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel. Of them, Hannan, Suman, Jewel, Abu Taher and Rouf are behind bars while Akbar is out on a High Court bail. The other eight are still at large.Meantime, the other case filed for murder is now pending with the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka. The same court on November 25, 2010 fixed May 31 for hearing of the case.

April 7: Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) ‘Chief’ Mufti Abdul Hannan in his confessional statement said the two former DGs were behind the conspiracy to make the attack, said Abdul, also senior special superintendent of Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The former NSI bosses, who had been arrested in connection with the 10-truckload of arms haul case, were shown arrested on April 13 in the case relating to the attack on August 21, 2004 at Bangabandhu Avenue.

March 22: Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) ‘leader’ Maulana Abdur Rouf was placed on a four-day fresh remand in the case filed in connection with supplying and using grenades for the attack. He gave important information about the incident, which will help prove the charges against the accused. Earlier, on March 7, 2011 the same court warned the CID for delaying the investigation and asked it to submit the probe report by March 23, 2011.

March 16: A Dhaka Court placed banned militant outfit Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HUJI-B) leader Maulana Abdur Rouf on a five-day remand in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack case filed under the Explosive Substances Act.

March 10: Gopalganj Detective Branch of Police arrested nephew of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI-B) ‘Chief’ Abdul Mufti Hannan and his five associates at Motbari village under Kotalipara sub-district of Gopalganj District. The arrestees were identified as Amin-Ur-Rahman (27), and his aides Imran-Ur-Rahman (30), Shimul Taj (22), Borkat Ali (35), Haidar Ali Sheikh (31) and Bipul Adhikary (18). All of them hailed from different sub-districts of Gopalganj, Madaripur and Jessore Districts. Police recovered a China made 7.62mm pistol, 15 gram ganjja, four small packets of heroin and 14 bottles of phensidyl from Amin's house.

Meanwhile, HUJI-B ‘Chief’ Mufti Abdul Hannan was taken on a five-day remand in connection with a case for bomb attack on Baniarchar Catholic Church in Gopalganj District on June 3, 2001 that killed 10 persons and injured another 50.

February 7: Chief of HuJI-B Mufti Abdul Hannan was produced in the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate amid tight security in the case for bomb attack on Khulna Ahmadiyya mosque in 1999. Moulana Obaidul Huq Abdullah, younger brother of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Sheikh Abdur Rahman was also brought to the same Court.

February 1: HuJI-B ‘chief’ Mufti Abdul Hannan will be produced in the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM), Khulna District, on February 7 in connection with Kadiani mosque bomb attack case.

January 28: According to an investigation report it was revealed that most of the 32 Arges grenades sent to HuJI-B by Pakistan-based militant outfit LeT were used in at least seven major terror attacks in 2004-05. Of the attacks, six targeted the leaders of the then opposition AL, and the other was on the British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury. In carrying out the blasts, HuJI-B had been aided by a powerful quarter, some of who were in state power. Investigators unearthed these while trying to get to the source of the grenade used in the killing of AL leader and former Finance Minister S.A.M.S Kibria.

2010

October 10: HuJI-B leader Mufti Moin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal confessed his involvement in CPB rally blast case in 2001 before a Dhaka Court. Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Sahadat Hossain recorded Zandal's confessional statement under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Act after CID produced him before the Court.

September 26: HuJI-B leader Mufti Moin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal was shown arrested and was placed on a four-day remand in connection with the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) bomb blast case. The case was filed for bomb blasts at a CPB rally at Paltan Maidan on January 21, 2001 that killed five people and injured 50 others.

September 23: Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ali Hussain placed HuJI-B leader Abu Zandal on a two-day remand after he was produced before a court in Dhaka on completion of his five-day remand. But Criminal Investigation Department Special Superintendent of Police Abdul Kahar Akond, prayed for a three-day remand for Zandal and also submitted a forwarding report saying that Zandal had admitted that he had collected grenades from BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu's residence and had thrown them on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004 which left 23 persons dead and many others injured.

September 15: In a draft report handed over to the Government, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the world's lone anti-money laundering organisation, warned that Bangladesh faced a significant risk of money laundering and some risk of terrorism financing. The report, inter alia, also observed that some outfits designated by the UN as terrorist groups like Al Haramain (Bangladesh Branch), Global Relief Foundation (GRF), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and HuJI-B are active in Bangladesh, posing a serious threat for the country. The report also said that JMB members have publicly claimed of receiving funds from Saudi Arabia.

September 6: A Dhaka court placed Abu Zandal, leader of the HuJI-B on a five-day remand in one of the two cases filed for the August 21 grenade attack. Third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka city, Mohammad Ali Hussain, passed the order after Criminal Investigation Department's Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akhand, also the investigation officer of the case, produced him before it with a seven-day remand prayer.

August 22: The HuJI-B chief Mufti Abdul Hannan said that the former BNP and the four-party alliance Government held him on trumped-up charges during its tenure. "Investigation now shows that many of the then top leaders had hand in the August 21 grenade attack," Hannan told the court. "I was taken on remand for 369 days in 22 cases and brutally tortured in last five years,'' he said requesting the Court not to grant any further remand. Hannan pleaded innocent before the court and claimed he was not the chief of HuJI-B, not even a member of the outfit. Bagerhat District Judicial Magistrate Court-2, however, placed him on a two-day demand in a case for bomb attack on Sheikh Helal's public meeting at Mollahat sub-district in 2001.

August 9: Security agencies have warned that cadres from the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) may have infiltrated into India through the Northeastern States, particularly Assam with the aim of sabotaging Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi on August 15. JMB is currently on the run from Security Forces (SFs) in Bangladesh.

July 18: A Gopalganj Court granted a three-day fresh remand for banned HuJI-B chief Mufti Abdul Hannan in Baniar Char church bombing case on June 3, 2001. Five other accused in the case are Maolana Obadur Rahman, Shipon, Kamruzzaman, Ahad and Amir Khan.

June 21: The RAB in the last two days arrested two HuJI-B militants, identified as Abul Kashem alias Abdullah and Abdul Haque alias Jahangir, who had been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for possessing illegal firearms and explosives from Mymensingh.

June 15: A Sylhet court framed charges HuJI-B chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and five others in a case filed against them for grenade attack in the city Awami League rally on August 7, 2004. The incident had left one AL leader killed and 25 others seriously injured.

May 6: Two Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) militants, who were arrested from their house at Baniachang sub-District of Habibganj on May 5, were placed on a three-day remand in Judicial Magistrate's Court in Habiganj.

May 5: Police arrested two HuJI-B militants, Noman and his brother Arif Billah, at their house at Baniachang sub-District of Habibganj. They were produced in the Judicial Magistrate's Court, Habiganj with a prayer for 10 days' remand.

April 21: United Kingdom unit chief of banned Islamist outfit HuJI-B Golam Mostofa was taken on a fresh five-day remand by Detective Branch (DB) of the Police.

April 18: The RAB disclosed that detained UK unit ‘chief’ of the HuJI-B, Golam Mostofa was a close aide to another fugitive Bangladesh-born UK citizen Mustafa Faisal and an adviser to his Green Crescent Madrasa in Bhola District. The London Police also picked up Golam Mostofa several times for interrogation after they arrested Mustafa Faisal, who was declared a terror suspect in 1996 and 2002 by British courts.  

April 16: The Detective Branch took the Bangladesh-born British citizen and a HuJI-B leader, who is also an Afghan war veteran, on a four-day remand for interrogation.  Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner A.K.M Shahidul Hoque said that London Police levelled charges of financing militant groups against Mostofa and has seized various documents relating to militancy in several drives. He said, "Coming out of jail on bail, Mostofa was carrying out militant activities in the country and tried to get other arrested militant leaders freed," and further added "During his stay in Birmingham, UK, until 2007, Mostofa had sent thousands of taka to militants active in Bangladesh. So, London Police filed a case against him under terrorist financing act of that country." After the Afghan war, Mostofa was also busy arranging financial support for Bosnia war.

April 15: The Detective Branch of the Police arrested the alleged UK unit ‘chief’ of the HuJI-B, Golam Mostofa (55), from Osmaninagar in Sylhet 14 months after he came out of jail on a High Court bail.

January 5: The RAB claimed to have arrested a HuJI-B militant from Adabor area of Dhaka city. Without disclosing details about the arrestee, AB Zahid Hossain alias Babu, a RAB press release only said the RAB members also recovered 10 books on jihad from the arrestee.

2009

December 31: An unspecified law enforcement agency arrested Kazi Azizul Haque, an organiser of HuJI-B leaders, from Sylhet.

December 3: The founder of HuJI-B, identified as Sheikh Abdus Salam confessed his involvement in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally. In a statement given to a Dhaka court, Salam also disclosed the names of a number of top administrative officials and politicians as involved in the gruesome attack.

November 10: The Police declared the arrest of a suspected HuJI-B militant, identified as Abdul Majid, in connection with the August 2, 2004 grenade attack case.

November 2: Police arrested Moulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, founder of the HuJI-B, for suspected links with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an AL rally.

October 12: Police arrested a HuJI-B militant, identified as Abu Obaida alias Harun at Bhuiyan Bazar of Sonagazi sub-District in Feni District. Harun along with some other militants, including now detained top HuJI-B leader Moulana Abu Sayeed, had been involved in plans to attack the Awami League president at an election rally in Sylhet on September 26, 2001.

September 24: A Dhaka court placed HuJI-B chief Mufti Abdul Hannan on a three-day remand in a case for abducting a physician. Metropolitan Magistrate Ferdous Ara passed the order after the CID produced Hannan before the court with a 10-day remand prayer. Homeopathic physician Azizur Rahman was abducted on September 4, 2003, and has been missing since. In the forwarding report placed before the court on September 23, the CID Inspector Mohammad Shahjahan, the investigation officer (IO) of the case, said he received information from various sources, including the victim's wife and reports published in newspapers, which indicate Hannan's involvement in Azizur's abduction.

September 9: A Dhaka court cancelled bails of two HuJI-B cadres, granted earlier by another court, in one of the two August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases on grounds that the charges brought against them were heinous and unpardonable. The HuJI-B cadres, identified as Munshi Mohibullah alias Mohibur Rahman, brother of HuJI-B Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, and Arif Hasan Sumon, had obtained bail from a speedy trial tribunal. In the order, the judge said the charges brought against the HuJI-B members were heinous. They along with the other accused killed 23 people including AL leader Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, and injured many others by exploding grenades at an AL rally. Further, another Dhaka court fixed October 4 for hearing on the Government petition seeking cancellation of bails granted to two HuJI-B cadres in the other case.

August 2: SFs disclosed the arrests of six HuJI-B militants in the night of August 1 from areas in the capital and elsewhere in the country. The arrestees were identified as Abul Khair of Manikganj District, Maulana Mohammad Musa of Chandpur District, Abdul Aziz of Feni District, Rezaul Karim and Anwar Uddin Javed of Chakaria Sub-District in Cox's Bazaar District, and Abdullah Al Hossain of Banshkhali Sub-District in Chittagong District. They are all accused in different cases filed in connection with grenade and bomb attacks and militant activities in the last one decade.

July 20: The former chief of the banned HuJI-B outfit, Shariful Islam Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, who was arrested in connection with the 2001 CPB rally blast case, was released on bail from the Dhaka Central Jail. Jail officials said they received an order for his release from the Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka, which issued the bail order. "Receiving the bail order, we reported it to different intelligence agencies for checking as Salam allegedly has links with a banned militant organisation. On receiving clearance from the intelligence agencies we released him around 3:00pm," Deputy Jailer Kamrul Islam said. The Home Ministry ordered an intelligence agency to investigate the setting up of a charity called Faruqi Welfare Foundation by the HuJI-B. The Foundation obtained a certificate from the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms on June 29, 2008.

April 16: The Metropolitan Sessions Court in Dhaka framed charges against 14 operatives of the HuJI-B, including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, in two cases filed in connection with the Ramna Batamul bomb blast of April 14, 2001. Judge A. N. M. Bashir Ullah rejected the discharge petitions submitted by the counsels for Hannan and five others. The court fixed April 28, 29 and 30 for trial of the case filed under the Explosive Substances Act and set May 3, 4 and 5 for trial of the murder case.

March 24: Founding member of the HuJI-B and the ameer of the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, was remanded to four-day Crime Investigation Department custody in connection with the bomb attack on a Communist Party of Bangladesh rally on January 20, 2001.

March 23: An intelligence agency arrested a HuJI-B founding member, identified as Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, from his home in the Bashundhara residential area of capital Dhaka. Abdus Salam is the ameer (chief) of the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP). He was born in Sherpur and reportedly went to Afghanistan in the early 1980s and returned in 1989. He also studied in the madrassas of Bangladesh and Pakistan. According to sources, some Afghanistan War veterans led by Abdus Salam officially launched the HuJI through a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on April 30, 1992.

2008

December 23: Three HuJI-B militants, including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, were sentenced to death in a murder case filed in connection with the grenade attack on the then British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in May 2004. The two others sentenced to death were identified as Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Mohazmmed Delwar Hossain alias Ripon. The Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal also awarded life terms to two other accused in the case - Mufti Hannan's brother Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi and Mufti Main Uddin alias Abu Zandal.

November 30: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) charge sheeted 14 HuJI-B operatives including the outfit's 'operations commander' Mufti Abdul Hannan, in two cases filed in connection with the Ramna Batamul blast on April 14, 2001. At a press briefing, CID chief Additional Inspector General Mohammad Javed Patwari said some 22 HuJI-B cadres were directly involved in the blast. However, charges have been pressed against 14 as addresses of the remaining eight were not found. Of the 14, only six, including Hannan, have been arrested.

October 29: The Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 in Dhaka framed charges against detained former BNP parliamentarian Abdus Salam Pintu, HuJI-B 'operations commander' Mufti Abdul Hannan and 20 others in two cases filed for grenade attacks on an AL rally in August 2004. The court fixed November 5 for trial of the cases--one for murder and another for bomb blast--and summoned the complainant to appear before it on that date. The grenade attacks on the AL rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka on August 21, 2004 killed 24 people, including Ivy Rahman, wife of the acting AL President Zillur Rahman, killed and injured 200 others, including AL chief Sheikh Hasina. The court charged Pintu with approving the plan of the grenade attack prepared by Hannan and his accomplices. The former BNP lawmaker was also charged with assisting the HuJI-B cadres with finance and administrative help and abetting them for killing and injuring the victims.

October 28: The EC rejected registration applications of around 40 political parties, including that of the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) formed by HuJI-B leaders, as they neither comply with the country's constitution or the registration conditions. A letter to this effect was issued to the IDP. As many as 107 organisations have applied for registration, now mandatory for seeking election to parliament. Of these, 22 are religion-based parties. According to the registration criteria laid down in the electoral laws, a party must have won a seat, or polled five percent of the votes in a constituency in any of the parliamentary polls since independence. It must have headquarters and offices in at least 10 districts or 50 sub-districts. Besides, it must disclose its sources of funds etc, and its constitution must not contradict the national constitution.

August 31: The Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in Dhaka asked eight absconding HuJI-B cadres to appear before the court by September 21 in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally case. The absconding cadres were identified as Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin, Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman. Maulana Tajuddin is the brother of former BNP parliamentarian Abdus Salam Pintu. The court directed the authorities concerned to give advertisement in two national Bangla dailies asking the absconding accused to appear before the court on the scheduled date.

August 10: The Metropolitan Sessions court in Dhaka rejected the bail petitions of two HuJI-B cadres, Rafiqul Islam and Arif Hassan Sumo, in a case filed for exploding grenades at an Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka on August 21, 2004.

June 23: A Dhaka court issued arrest warrants against eight absconding HuJI-B militants, including Maulana Tajuddin, brother of detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu, in the August 21 grenade attack case. The court fixed July 24 for returning the arrest warrants to the court.

June 17: Four HuJI-B cadres were sentenced to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) in an explosives case in Magura. The special tribunal also fined them Taka 5,000 each. The militants were identified as Mokaddes Ali, ameer (chief) of Magura district unit Khelafat Majlish, its general secretary Bakibillah, Khalilur Rahman and Rafikul Islam Sabuj. Earlier on June 10, they were sentenced to 20 years' RI for possessing illegal arms.

June 15: A court in Satkhira sentenced two HuJI-B cadres to 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) each for possession of 44 Arges grenades. The court also fined both the militants Taka 20,000 each. The militants were identified as Moin Uddin alias Abu Zandal, a close aide to the outfit’s operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan and Nazrul Islam Gharami, son of Mujibur Rahman Gharami from Shimulia village in Debhata sub-district. Based on the statement by Abu Zandal, RAB personnel had arrested Nazrul Islam Gharami and recovered 44 grenades of Arges brand hidden in a pond in Shimulia village under Debhata sub-district on February 15.

June 11: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed charge sheets in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on the AL rally in Dhaka case. Among the accused were 22 persons including HuJI-B operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan and the BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu. The CID, in the chargesheet said that the attack was intended to kill AL leader Sheikh Hasina as she was perceived to be "harmful" for Islam.

June 10: Special Tribunal Court No 3 in Magura on June 10 sentenced four HuJI-B cadres to 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) each for possessing arms and explosives. The court also fined them Taka 5,000 each. The HuJI-B cadres sentenced have been identified as Mokaddes Ali, Bakibillah, Khalil and Rafikul, of whom the first two are in custody and the latter two are absconding. Both Mokaddes Ali and Bakibillah, ameer (chief) and general secretary of the Magura district Khelafat Majlish (KM), had been arrested on October 29, 2007 following a statement by operations commander of the outfit, Mufti Abdul Hannan. The Security force personnel had also recovered two Chinese rifles, 86 rounds of bullet, two bombs, two pairs of army uniform and a huge quantity of explosives from the grounds of Kharabila field in Nohata area under Mohammadpur sub-district following their interrogation.

June 6: HuJI-B leader Rafiqul Islam Sabuj confessed to his involvement in the grenade attack on the Awami League rally in the capital Dhaka on August 21, 2004. His statement was recorded in the court of Magistrate Abdullah Al Mamun where he had been produced on the expiry of his five-day remand under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A total of 14 people have so far been arrested in connection with the grenade attack. Of them, eight gave statements before the court, admitting their involvement in the attack.

June 1: HuJI-B leader Rafiqul Islam Sabuj was arrested by RAB personnel at Baliakandi under Rajbari district.

May 30: RAB personnel arrested two suspected HuJI-B cadres who were part of the team that lobbed grenades on an Awami League rally in the capital Dhaka on August 21, 2004. RAB sources said that Rafiqul Islam alias Sabuj was arrested from Baliakandi of Rajbari and Uzzal Hossain alias Ratan was arrested from Noahata in the Magura district on May 30. Both were present during a press conference the RAB held in Dhaka on May 31 where both admitted to their crimes. RAB officials further said that five other persons with suspected links to the HuJI-B were also arrested during a raid in the Kurshi village of Rajbari district and have been handed over to the Police. Some documents and two books on jihad were recovered from the arrested militants.

May 28: The District and Sessions Judge's Court in Satkhira framed charges against two HuJI-B cadres, identified as Moinuddin alias Abu Zandal and Nazrul Islam Gharami, for possession of 44 grenades. Zandal, a close aide to the arrested HuJI-B ‘operations commander’ Mufti Hannan, was arrested from Gazipur on February 14, 2008. Following information provided by Zandal, the RAB on February 15 arrested Gharami from Nalta bazaar in the Kaliganj sub-district. On the same day, after receiving a confessional statement from Gharami, the RAB personnel recovered 44 grenades from a pond at Shimulia village.

May 26: RAB personnel arrested a suspected HuJI-B cadre from his Sonatundi village house in the Sreepur sub-district of Magura. The arrested militant, identified as Farhad Hossain, was a health-worker of the Magura-based Islamic NGO 'Ehsan S Bangladesh', RAB sources said. Earlier, another HuJI-B cadre, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul of Jhenidah, who too worked in the same NGO had been arrested in connection with a grenade attack on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.

May 21: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) showed two operatives of the HuJI-B, Maulana Idris Ali and Maulana Monir Hossain, as arrested in the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally bomb attack case and filed a petition with a Dhaka court seeking their 10-day remand. Idris and Monir are also accused in a number of grenade and bomb attack cases, including those filed in connection with the August 21, 2001 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka and the April 14, 2001 bombing of the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at Ramna Batamul.

May 20: Hasan Mahmood Khandaker, Director General of the RAB said that the militant group HuJI-B had been marginalised following a crackdown. "Bangladesh banned the HuJI group years ago after it was banned in the United States and other countries as a top militant organisation," he said. He further said, "Dozens of HuJI activists in Bangladesh including their chief Mufti Abdul Hannan have been detained over the years. While we don’t rule out the existence of HuJI in Bangladesh, we can say their activity has been drastically controlled by the security agencies here."

May 15: A Dhaka court sent the detained HuJI-B leader, Arif Hasan Sumon, to jail as he denied his involvement in the bomb attack on a Communist Party of Bangladesh rally on July 20, 2001. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced him in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Waliul Islam at the end of his five-day remand. The CID sources said Sumon had confessed to his involvement during the interrogation in the remand. But in the court, he denied his involvement in the attack. Earlier, Suman gave a confessional statement before a court admitting his involvement in the bomb attack at Ramna Batamul during the celebration of Pahela Baishakh on April 14 in 2001.

April 19: A close associate of the imprisoned operations commander of the HuJI-B, Mufti Abdul Hannan, was arrested by the RAB personnel from a forest area in the Fatikchhari sub-district of Chittagong. The militant, Maulana Shihabuddin, who runs a madrassa, is suspected of having been involved in several grenade attacks across the country.

March 10: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted supplementary charge sheets of two cases filed in connection with the grenade attack on the British High Commissioner at the shrine of Hajrat Shahjalal in Sylhet in 2004. The charge sheets accused the HuJI-B leader Abu Zandal alias Mufti Mainuddin and Masum Billah Khaza of delivering the grenades for the attack. The investigation officer told although charge sheets of the cases were submitted earlier, further investigation was carried out on the basis of the confessional statement of HuJI-B ‘operations commander’ Mufti Abdul Hannan, who indicated that the Abu Zandal had provided the grenades through the outfit’s operatives Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon.

March 10: Daily Star reports that leaders of the HuJI-B had formed a new political party called Islami Gono Andolan in 2006 with an objective of carrying out political activities openly. A seven member committee led by Maulana Abdus Salam, founder of the Fatematuz Zohra women's madrassa (seminary) in Sherpur in the Bogra district, carries out the organisational activities of the party. Former deputy commander of HuJI-B and founder of Ommulara Al Islami madrassa of Shajahanpur in Bogra, Abdul Hannan Sabbir, and HuJI-B leader Abdul Aziz are members of the committee.

March 6: The Bangladesh Home Ministry said there has been no operation of the HuJI-B in the country and the law enforcers were on alert to check against the resurgence of the outfit. Additional secretary of the home ministry Abdur Rashid said in a briefing at the ministry, "Intelligence agencies and lawmen are keeping watch so that the extremist organisation cannot resume its operation."

March 5: The United States State Department labelled HuJI-B as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO). The outfit was previously put on the list of 'Other Terrorist Organisations' in 2003 by the US. A press release to this effect by the state department said, "The leader of HuJI-B signed the February 1998 fatwa sponsored by Usama bin Ladin [sic] that declared American civilians to be legitimate targets for attack. Since then, HuJI-B has been implicated in a number of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and abroad." Signed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Executive Order 13224, criminalises providing material support to HuJI-B by US citizens or people living under US jurisdictions, and freezes all HuJI-B property and interests in the US and in areas under US jurisdiction. The designation also enabled the US to deny visas to HuJI-B representatives, and requires US financial institutions to freeze assets held by HuJI-B.

March 4: Pratham Alo reported that the HuJI-B used to supply grenades to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) to carry out attacks in India. An arrested HuJI-B leader Abu Zandal has told the police during his interrogation in Dhaka that the outfit had sent several consignments of grenades to the LeT operating in India until 2004. The last such consignment however, could not be delivered as the LeT representative who was supposed to receive it was killed in an encounter with Border Security Force (BSF) near Bangladesh's Kaliganj frontier. Zandal reportedly told the interrogators that the LeT leader Yazdani, who was killed in 2006 by the Delhi Police, used to maintain links with the detained HuJI-B ‘operations commander’ Mufti Abdul Hannan. Zandal also claimed that the supply of ‘Arges’ grenades were being received from a fugitive, Maulana Tazuddin, believed to be hiding in South Africa.

February 28: Daily Star reported that the dormitories of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute in the national capital’s Tejgaon area have turned into a safe haven for fugitive criminals and militants. Criminals and militants are taking refuge within the three hostels of the Institute. Unidentified students and law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the criminals are being provided shelter by the Islami Chhatra Shibir. Several teachers with Jamaat background and with alleged links with the HuJI-B are also involved in the incident. Prof Shamshul Alam, principal of the Institute, admitted that some teachers of the institute are assisting the militants to hide in the dormitories, but said that the authorities are unable to take actions against those teachers since the issue is "out of their jurisdiction to deal with".

February 23: The two detained HuJI-B militants who were involved in the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks on the AL rally in capital Dhaka were placed on three days' remand. They were identified as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul and Hossain Ahmed alias Tamim. The Criminal Investigation Department reportedly plans to interrogate them along with the detained HuJI-B militant Mufti Moinuddin alias Abu Zandal for cross-checking the information provided earlier by Zandal.

February 21: Daily Star reported that the HuJI-B leader Mufti Moinuddin alias Abu Zandal, now on a seven-day remand, during his interrogation has admitted his role in carrying out the August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally in 2004 with an intention of killing its chief Sheikh Hasina. Zandal, a close aide of detained HuJI-B operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan, is being interrogated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Taskforce for Interrogation (TFI) cell in Dhaka. According to the report, the CID proposes to bring two more HuJI-B cadres, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Bulbul and Tamim, who were arrested earlier in connection with the August 21 attack, face to face with Zandal to verify information so far gained from him.

February 19: A Dhaka court remanded HuJI-B leader Mufti Mainuddin alias Abu Jandal alias Masum Billah in custody for seven days. The investigating officer told the court that Jandal had supplied the grenades that were used in the attack.

February 14: The RAB personnel arrested Mufti Moinuddin, alias Abu Zandal, a key accomplice of the HuJI-B operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan near a mosque in national capital Dhaka, on charges of carrying out a grenade attack at a rally of former Prime Minister and AL leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Based on his confession, RAB forces seized 41 live grenades from a remote village in southwestern district of Satkhira. RAB sources said same type of grenades were also used during the attack on Sheikh Hasina's rally.

January 18: Abdus Salam Pintu, former Deputy Minister in the Khaleda Zia Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Cabinet in Bangladesh admitted before a Dhaka court that the then Home Minister, Lutfozzaman Babar, and Ms. Zia’s son, Tariq Rahman, had given the nod for the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on the Awami League (AL) rally in capital Dhaka that led to the death of 23 AL activists. Pintu, who is currently under detention, said the plan was to kill AL leader Sheikh Hasina and senior leaders of the party. Pintu is the brother of Maulana Tajul Islam, a militant leader, who reportedly supplied the grenade to HuJI-B leader Mufti Hannan to conduct the "operation." Both Babar and Rahman are now facing charges of corruption and misuse of power and are under detention.

2007

December 14: RAB personnel arrested a HuJI-B militant, Manirul Islam Madina, from Porabari Narayanpur village in the Benapole district. Manirul is a close associate of Mufti Hannan, the outfit's operations commander. A revolver, one bullet, two Indian mobile phone sets and two air tickets were recovered from his possession.

December 2: Police submitted a charge sheet before the Jhenidah Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court against six HuJI-B militants, in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Jhenidah on August 17, 2005. They were identified as Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Mohammad Ali, Jhenidah Sadar, Omar Faruk alias Laden, Jahangir Alam and Abul Kashem. They were arrested by the RAB personnel from different places in the Jhenidah district on October 28, and following their confessions huge explosives, including 16 grenades, were recovered from their houses on the next day.

November 29: HuJI-B operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan told the interrogators that the operatives of his outfit had attacked late poet Shamsur Rahman with intent to kill him on his orders on January 18, 1999. The attack was led by HuJI-B cadre Hasan who was a student of Dhaka College at the poet's residence in the Shyamali locality in the national capital. The attackers had entered his residence and had tried to cut his head off with an axe, leaving him seriously wounded.

HuJI-B Dhaka city unit leader Maulana Abu Taher, on remand in a case filed for Ramna Batamul blasts in 2001, admitted to supplying the bombs used in the attack that left 10 people dead and many injured. He told the interrogators that two Dhaka College students--Hasan and Omar Faruq--carried the bombs to Ramna Batamul area and kept those hidden somewhere close to the venue before the security checks were carried out. Later, other HuJI-B activists planted those near the stage erected for cultural shows.

November 27: Police arrested two HuJI-B cadres from a student mess in Zakir Hossain Road in the Mohammadpur locality of Dhaka for their suspected links to the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in the national capital and Ramna Batamul blasts in 2001. The arrested cadres were identified as Maulana Mohammad Monir Hossain and Maulana Mohammad Idris. Both were subsequently produced in a court which remanded them to police custody for five days.

Bangladesh sought Interpol's help to bring back two HuJI-B operatives, twins identified as Morsalin and Muttakin, claimed to be now in India. Unidentified Bangladeshi officials said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sought the Interpol assistance saying Morsalin and Muttakin directly took part in the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks on the Awami League rally, the Ramna Batamul attack of 2001 and the blasts on the Communist Party of Bangladesh rally in 2005. CID sources said the outfit's 'operations commander' Mufti Abdul Hannan and his five detained accomplices gave the names of the twins during interrogation. CID sources said that both were arrested with a huge quantity of explosives from New Delhi railway station on February 26, 2006 and are currently lodged in a Delhi jail.

November 25: The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in Dhaka placed two HuJI-B militants on a seven-day remand for their involvement in the bomb attacks on a Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) rally at national capital Dhaka's Paltan Maidan on January 21, 2001. The duo was identified as Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman and Sharif Shahidul Alam alias Bipul. Mohibullah is brother of the outfit's 'operations commander' Mufti Abdul Hannan, who is currently in jail.

November 18: Daily Star quoting a HuJI-B 'deserter' reported that at least 65 cadres of the outfit were trained by its 'chief trainer' Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul at camps in the Jhenidah district from 1999 to August 2005. Precincts of various madrassas were used for imparting the training. Rapid Action Battalion personnel on October 28 had arrested Bulbul following information extracted from the detained HuJI-B 'operations commander' Mufti Abdul Hannan.

November 17: Two more HuJI-B cadres confessed to having taken part in the grenade attacks on the August 21, 2004 Awami League rally in Dhaka that killed 24 people. Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Shahin Uddin recorded the confessional statements of Abul Kalam Azad and Jahangir Alam Bulbul after Investigating Officer Fazlul Kabir produced them before the court following a 10-day remand.

Another HuJI-B cadre, Abu Taher, was placed on a two-day fresh remand for interrogation in the same case.

November 14: The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in Dhaka placed a HuJI-B cadre on a three-day remand in a case filed in connection with grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital Dhaka on August 21, 2004. The investigation officer in the case has requested for a seven day remand to interrogate Hafez Moulana Abu Taher, who he said was directly involved in the grenade attacks. Taher reportedly had supplied the grenades used in the attack.

November 12: Police arrested a JMB leader, Maulana Shahidul Islam, at Pathan Para in Gazipur. The arrested militant, who worked as an imam at the Al Madina Masjid is reportedly the 'divisional commander' of the group in Faridpur. He is also an accused in the August 17, 2005 country-wide bombings.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in Dhaka placed HuJI-B cadre Maulana Abdul Latif on a two-day fresh remand in connection with the Ramna Batamul blast case of 2001. Latif is a close aide of the outfit's operations commander Mufti Abdul Hannan, who is currently in jail. The investigating officer of the case submitted that Latif is directly involved with the bomb blast and he needs to be interrogated to secure more information about the blast.

November 5: The Criminal Investigation Department submitted to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Rabbani that the two arrested HuJI-B militants Abul Kalam Azad of Jhenidah and Jahangir Alam of Kushtia have been arrested in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in Dhaka.

November 1: HuJI-B operations commander Mufti Mohammad Hannan and two other cadres of the outfit confessed to carrying out the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on the Awami League rally at Dhaka with the intent of killing the AL President Sheikh Hasina. The other two cadres were identified as Hannan’s brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman and Moulana Sharif Shahidul Alam alias Bipul. All three made the confessional statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sultan Mahmud recorded the statements in his chamber. In the statement, the militants said that they had smuggled the grenades from Afghanistan, the country where Hannan joined the Mujahideens to fight the then Soviet forces in the 80s.

October 29: Nine suspected HuJI-B militants were arrested from Narsingdi, Jhenidah, Magura, Khulna and Dhaka on October 28 and 29 along with the huge cache of arms and explosives. The cache included 60 kilograms of explosives, 16 grenades, rifles, handguns, various equipment and ammunition. RAB sources said that two of the nine arrested had taken part in the August 21, 2004 grenade blasts at an Awami League rally in capital Dhaka, while the rest were involved indirectly in the incident. The arrested were identified as Hossain Ahmed alias Tamim, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Abdul Kuddus, Omar Faruq, Amirul Islam, Ali Ahmed, Mokaddes Billah and Mohammad Baki Billah.

October 23: A Dhaka court placed the HuJI-B ‘operations commander’ Mufti Abdul Hannan on a 10-day remand in a case filed in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in capital Dhaka. With this, Hannan has been on 135 days of remand so far in several cases, including the August 17, 2005 countrywide bomb blasts, the 2001 Ramna Batamul blast and the 2004 grenade attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in Sylhet.

September 2: Indian media reports that Bangladesh police arrested Mohammad Sharifuddin alias Abu Hamza, an operative of the HuJI-BD, at an unspecified place on the India-Bangladesh border following information from police in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh in south India. According to Hyderabad Police sources, Hamza, once a resident of the Santoshnagar area in the city, was involved in the blasts at the State Task Force office in October 2005 and at the Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007. Police also believe that Hamza was responsible for smuggling RDX into the country on the orders of HuJI ‘commander’ Shahid Bilal. Bangladesh authorities subsequently deny any such arrest.

July 31: The Additional District and Sessions Judge in Sylhet framed charges against Mufti Abdul Hannan, chief of the outlawed HuJI-B, and three others, including Hannan's brother Mofizur Rahman and the outfit’s operatives Delwar Hossain Ripon and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul, for the grenade attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in Sylhet in 2004.

2006

December 23: The Awami League (AL) party enters into a deal with the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, which is linked to the HUJI. Both the sides agree, among other points, to recognise fatwa (religious edict) by certified Hakkani alems (educated clerics) and implement government recognition to the degree conferred by traditional Madrassa if the AL-led alliance came to power.

November 18: HuJI-B leader Mufti Abdul Hannan confessed to plotting and leading several grenade attacks, including those on the Udichi programme in Jessore, Ramna Batamul, and the British High Commissioner in Sylhet.

November 12: The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka placed Mufti Abdul Hannan, 'operations commander' of the HuJI-B, his brother Mahibullah alias Mafizur Rahman and their close associate Badrul Alam Mizan on a five-day fresh remand for each in connection with the killings of two civilians, Shahidul Islam and Sayem, near a Bashundhara project under Badda police station on September 19, 2003.

November 10: A detained HuJI-B operative confessed to have carried out the grenade attack on the Awami League rally at Derai in Sunamganj in June 2004.

November 2: The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka placed Mufti Abdul Hannan, 'operations commander' of the HuJI-B, his brother Mahibullah alias Mafizur Rahman and close associate Badrul Alam Mizan on an eight-day remand in connection with the case filed with Badda Police Station related to the killings of Shahidul Islam and Sayem near the Bashundhara project on September 19, 2003.

October 27: The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka remands ‘operations commander’ of the HuJI-B, Mufti Abdul Hannan, and his brother as well as a cadre of the outfit, Mahibullah alias Mafizur Rahman, for five days in connection with the killing of Arif alias Dil on November 5, 2001.

October 16: Two HuJI-B cadres, who were placed on remand on October 15 in connection with the grenade attack on the British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury in 2004 in Sylhet, confess to their involvement in the incident. They also confess that they were involved in the bomb attacks on Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran and former Awami League lawmaker Syeda Zebunnesa Haque.

October 15: Sylhet Sadar Cognizance Magistrate places two HuJI-B cadres, Sharif Shahedul and Delwar Hossain Ripon of Moulvibazar district, on a five-day remand in connection with the grenade attack on the British High Commissioner in 2004.

October 10: The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka places Mufti Abdul Hannan, HuJI-B’s ‘operations commander’ and his brother Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman on a 10-day remand in the murder case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station in connection with the killing of Mohammad Bazlur Rahman on July 17, 2004.

October 4: Four arrested HuJI-Bcadres are remanded in the Detective Branch custody for 10 days by the first-class magistrate court in Sylhet for interrogation in connection with the grenade attack on the Sylhet Mayor on December 3, 2005.

September 19: Abu Taher alias Abu Sayeed alias Abu Jafar, a top HuJI-B leader, admits to having links with a number of militant organisations across the world, including the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and Harkat-ul-Ansar.

September 17: Mohibullah alias Mofizur Rahman, brother of HuJI-B ‘operations commander’ Mufti Abdul Hannan, is shown as arrested in the Ramna Batamul explosions of April 16, 2001 case and placed on remand for five days.

September 10: Mufti Abdul Hannan, ‘operations commander’ of the HuJI-B, who is charged with involvement in the Ramna Batamul explosions, is placed on an eight-day remand by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Dhaka.

August 21: The HuJI-B is reported to have held a meeting in the capital Dhaka on August 18 under the banner of Sachetan Islami Janata at the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The Government, however, claimed ignorance about the meeting. State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar said on August 20 that he learnt about the meeting from newspaper reports on August 19.

April 28: A HUJI leader, identified as Abul Hossain alias Khokon, is charge sheeted before the Gopalgonj Judge Court for his involvement in a case of an attempt on the life of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed.

January 23: Chief of the banned HuJI-B, Mufti Hannan, is sent to the Dhaka Central Jail after completion of a 106-day remand.

2005

October 17: The Government proscribes the HuJI terming it as a ‘self-confessed terrorist group’.

October 9: HuJI threatens to blow up key installations in the Khulna city if its leader Mufti Abdul Hannan was not released unconditionally. A caller identifying himself as a HuJI regional leader warned that the attacks will be more devastating than the August 17 bombings.

October 1: HuJI ‘operations commander’ Mufti Abdul Hannan is arrested from the Madhya Badda locality of capital Dhaka.

2004

June 17: Maulana Mohammed Habibur Rahman, Principal of Jamea Madania Islamia Madrassa (seminary), at Kazirpar in the Sylhet district admits visiting the Harkatul Jihad offices in Karachi and Peshawar in 1998 along with eight other Muslim leaders.

June 1: Police neutralises a HuJI training camp located in the interior hilly area of Pori-Kup Mulatoli in Chittagong district and seizes 24 inactive AK-47 rifles, sharp weapons and instruments and uniforms.

2002

October 7: Indian police arrest Myanmarese-born HuJI weapons courier Fazle Karim alias Abu Fuzi, in Kolkata on arrival from Kashmir. He was reportedly trained at Al Qaeda camps in eastern Afghanistan.

May 9: Sixty-three representatives of nine Islamic groups-including Rohingya forces, the Islamic Oikya Jote and the ULFA-meet in Ukhia and form Bangladesh Islamic Manch, a united council under the HUJI's leadership.

January 22: A group allied to the HUJI, Asif Reza Commando Force (ARCF) claims responsibility for the terrorist attack on the American Centre in Kolkata.

2001

June 14: Maoulana Mohammad Akbar Hossain, the prime suspect in the April 14-bomb blast at a New Year concert in Dhaka, in which eight persons were killed, is produced before a Court in Dhaka.

June 8: The accused in the June 3-Baniachang Church bomb blast, suspected top-ranking leader of the HuJI and a vice-principal of a seminary, the Siddirganj Madaninagar Qumi Madrassah, is arrested along with three more accomplices in the Kakrail area, Dhaka.

June 3: The HuJI is suspected behind the explosion that rocked a Roman Catholic Church at Baniachang, in Gopalganj, while the morning Mass was in progress, killing 10 worshippers and injuring more than 24 others.

April 14: Suspected HuJI cadres set-off a blast at a New Year’s day celebration in Dhaka killing at least eight people.

January 26: Charge-sheet is filed against Mufti Hannan and 16 others for plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

2000

July 23: Sixty kg of explosives, two big live bombs, 21 kg of liquid chemical, three kg of gun powder and some other explosive materials are recovered from the soap factory of Mufti Hannan and the residence of Hasmot Ali Kazi.

Explosives are recovered from the helipad in Kotalipara, which Prime Minister Hasina normally uses.

July 21: Police recover a metal box containing explosives from a playground near the venue of a public rally at Kotalipara, in Gopaganj district, near her hometown Tungipara. It is later detected that the HuJI had planted the explosives.

July 16: Suspected HuJI cadres kill journalist Shamsur Rahman in Jessore.