Pressure Cooker Bomb Recovered Again in Savar

❐ Staff Reporter

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Police have recovered a bomb-like pressure cooker from a field in Savar.

It was recovered from the grounds of Laltek Ghoda Mosque in Sadhapur Goper Bari, under the jurisdiction of Bhavanipur Police Camp, on Wednesday morning, August 12.

Locals said they became suspicious when they saw a blue plastic drum lying in the field in the morning. Later, they opened the drum and found a pressure cooker with clothes inside.

When the matter was reported to the police, Bhabanipur police outpost in-charge Imran Hossain reached the spot with his team.

Locals claim that three unidentified people left the drum in the field sometime during the night. Upon receiving the information, the police went to the spot and moved the people around to a safe distance. Later, the bomb disposal unit was informed.

Imran Hossain, in-charge of Bhabanipur police outpost, said, “After receiving the information, we went to the spot and evacuated the locals to a safe place. The bomb disposal unit has been informed and they are on their way to the spot.”

Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Alam said the police came to know about the matter in the morning. Police members are at the scene and the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has left for the scene.

The OC said, “It is initially believed that the miscreants may have committed such an incident to create panic in the public. However, it is not possible to say for sure what is inside the pressure cooker until it is examined.”

He further said that the incident is being investigated. Efforts will be made to identify and arrest those involved through the investigation. In addition, necessary legal action will be taken in this incident.

Earlier, on July 31, police recovered a pressure cooker containing a bomb-like object from a bag lying on a bench at a grocery store in Ashulia, Savar. Later, the DMP’s bomb disposal unit defused it by exploding it.

In the incident, police said that a man, aged approximately 30 to 36, came to the grocery store that evening and gave the shopkeeper a 500 taka note, asking to buy a cold drink. When the shopkeeper said he did not have any change, the man left. He left his bag locked in the shop while leaving.

Later, bomb-like objects and a pressure cooker were found inside the bag. Police said they are trying to identify the person.

CTTC officials said the IED was made using bearing balls, splinters and high-powered explosives inside a three- to five-liter pressure cooker. There was a risk of widespread loss of life and damage in the vicinity if it exploded. The salvage bomb was so powerful that despite the controlled explosion, the shockwave caused the wall of a nearby house to collapse.

Just a week earlier, on July 24, another IED was recovered under an umbrella under the capital’s Motijheel Metrorail Station.

The CTTC said the umbrella was designed to explode as soon as it was opened. The bomb used batteries, electronic circuits, splinters, a large number of iron balls and about one to one and a half kilograms of sulfur.

• Experts have identified this technology as a pipe bomb. In 2013, a massive explosion occurred while a pipe bomb was being made at a madrasa owned by Mufti Harun Izhar in Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong. Detailed information about this has been added to the report.

When the bomb was recovered, a chariot procession was being held in the opposite direction of the Hindu Rath Yatra. The chariot and Hindu pilgrims were traveling on that road. Meanwhile, the suspicious umbrella was spotted by pedestrians. Later, when people informed the police, panic spread among the people.

On Saturday, August 1, two suspected bomb-like objects were detected at two crowded metro stations, Mirpur and Farmgate. The discovery of such explosives in a crowded place like a metro station has raised security concerns.

Several law enforcement officials involved in the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the construction style of the two recovered IEDs bears several similarities to explosives used by banned militant organizations in the past.

According to them, the tactics of using pressure cookers, attaching a large number of bearing balls or splinters, making high-powered IEDs with readily available materials, and leaving them in crowded places are similar to past terrorist attacks.

However, CTTC Chief and Additional Police Commissioner Mohammad Shamsul Haque claims that there are no signs of extremism rising in the country.

According to him, potential extremist activity is being monitored around the clock through online platforms, social media, intelligence information, and its own database. According to him, no information has been received so far that indicates a major militant resurgence.

The names of Mufti Harun Izhar and his father are intertwined in the history of pipe bombs in Bangladesh.

The name of the mastermind behind the incident of hoisting extremist flags modeled after ISIS militants across the country has already been revealed. Mufti Harun Izhar, the fearsome militant who worked as a teacher at the Shariah Graduation Institute on Nazimuddin Road in the capital and the founding director of the institute, is here. Let’s learn about his history and past.

The time was October 7, 2013. The country was in turmoil with the mass movement, the trial of war criminals, and the riots at the Shapla Chattar in custody. At that time, a terrible explosion occurred at the Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Madrasa in Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong. At least 8-9 people were injured, and one person died while undergoing treatment. Initially, the Madrasa authorities tried to cover up the incident by making a ridiculous claim that a computer’s ‘UPS’ exploded, but later the intelligence agencies and experts from the Bomb Disposal Unit found traces of the production of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, or hand-made bombs there. Several unexploded ‘pipe bombs’ and bomb-making equipment were recovered.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) later arrested four militants of the banned militant outfit Harkatul Jihad in Dhaka for their involvement in the incident. Among them was a fugitive accused in the August 17, 2005 serial bomb attacks. Two of them were arrested from Uttara in Dhaka and the other two from Ashulia with weapons and explosives. At that time, 1,100 rounds of SMG bullets, 32 pistol bullets and one kilogram of explosives were recovered from the four arrested.

The police immediately described the bombs recovered after the explosion at the Lalkhan Bazar madrasa dormitory under the control of Hefazat-e-Islam as ‘hand-made grenades’. At that time, various parties made provocative statements claiming that the incident was a conspiracy by the Awami League government against the madrasa and Islam. However, bomb experts later identified them as ‘pipe bombs’.

In January 2011, 11 similar bombs were recovered from the Hathazari police station area of ​​Chittagong. At that time, experts said that bombs using this technology were made in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba is accused of carrying out the most sabotage using this technology.

Intelligence information at that time also revealed that Mufti Izharul Islam, the director of Jamiatul Uloom Al Islamia Madrasa – Nayeb-e-Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam and a member of the central committee of Nezam-e-Islam – and his son Mufti Harun Izhar had direct links with Lashkar. Mufti Harun himself gave this information to the police during interrogation by the intelligence police after his arrest in 2011. Earlier, on December 15, 2010, his father Mufti Izharul Islam – who is notorious as a top militant leader in the subcontinent – was arrested on charges of involvement with Harkat-ul-Jihad.

The most well-known IED maker within the militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba is Syed Abdul Karim alias Tunda, known as the right-hand man of Indian mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. Tunda, a supporter of Lashkar and radical militancy, was arrested in Nepal in August 2013. At that time, the country’s intelligence agencies also received information that Tunda had secretly come to Bangladesh under a false identity and had trained militants.

After talking to the intelligence officers and bomb experts on duty at the time, it was confirmed that the bombs recovered from the dormitory of the Lalkhan Bazar madrasa were of pipe bomb technology. One of the features of which is that these bombs cannot be detected by airport scanners and in many cases even by trained dogs.

Experts told this reporter that the terrorists used coffee to mix the bomb’s ingredients with color and odor to make it undetectable. US forces had suffered heavy losses from such bomb attacks in Afghanistan numerous times. These bombs have caused them a lot of suffering. Later, the Americans used ‘Water Blade Stingray’ technology to defuse such bombs in Afghanistan.

An official of a security agency in charge at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that pipe bombs are not detected by scanners. Trained dogs also fail because they are confused by the smell. The main equipment for making these bombs is pipes and sockets (aluminum used for sanitary purposes) available in various hardware stores in the country. It is possible to make this powerful bomb with other readily available materials such as urea, nitric acid, potassium chloride, nitrobenzene, carbon tetrachloride and sugar. It would be terrible if the scanners and trained dogs failed to locate this bomb.

After the 2013 explosion, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) wrote in their report: ‘After the explosion, 4 unexploded hand grenade-like bombs, 250 pieces of GI pipe, 100 marbles, a twisted mobile set, 200 grams of GI wire, twisted springs and two slide ranges were recovered from the madrasa dormitory.’

Although the police initially described the recovered bomb as an older version of a homemade grenade, experts were able to identify it as a pipe bomb used in Pakistan and Afghanistan after taking into account the fact that the homemade grenade was attached to a GI wire and a mobile phone.

Santosh Chakma, then sub-inspector of the CMP’s intelligence branch and a member of the Bomb Disposal Unit, admitted that the bomb recovered from Hathazari in 2011 was similar to the bomb recovered from the dormitory of the Lalkhan Bazar madrasa owned by Mufti Harun Izhar.

Bomb experts said that banned militant organizations in Bangladesh are making IEDs using technology from Afghanistan and Pakistan. These bombs are made by placing explosives inside thick iron pipes. To detonate, a special ring of pins like a grenade is placed outside the bomb. This type of bomb is also called a pressure release bomb. The special ring outside this bomb explodes with a loud sound within a few seconds of throwing it. Its destructive power is increased by the fact that it has a hard iron casing outside. And since the bomb has explosives and sharp objects inside, those splinters rush and tear people apart.

A police bomb expert, who did not wish to be named, said that in such bombs, a battery is used along with the initiator. Alternatively, a mobile phone is also used directly instead of a battery. A battery or a mobile phone is added to activate the explosive. Especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan, militants use such technology to make hand bombs.

Intelligence reports indicate that the notorious JMB militant in Bangladesh, Jahedul Islam alias Bomber Mizan, was the first to make bombs using this technology. After that, another JMB militant named Masum tried his hand at making bombs. Nurunnabi, who was killed in the bomb blast at the Hefazat-controlled Lalkhan Bazar madrasa, also received training from them.

Abdul Karim Tunda’s technology was used to make bombs using this IED technology. Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Abdul Karim gained notoriety in India in the 1990s for making bombs using this IED technology. When a part of his left hand flew off while making a bomb, he added the adjective Tunda to his name. According to Delhi Police, Tunda has been carrying out terrorist activities in India for more than two decades. Tunda, who is directly accused in 43 explosions, is accused of receiving training in explosives making from Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI in the 1980s.

This Tunda has trained militants even after coming to Bangladesh. And the truth of this information is found in the information given by the detained Mufti Harun after his arrest. After his arrest on November 5, 2011, he admitted to the intelligence officers in Dhaka that he had direct links with Lashkar. After the 2013 blast, the intelligence officers put two and two together. Using the technology taught to them by the Hifazati Madrasa in Chittagong, bombs were being made.

Izhar’s son Mufti Harun was arrested in October 2013 for his involvement in the grenade explosion at Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa. A case was filed against Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mufti Harun by Hefazat-e-Islam itself due to his association with the banned militant organization JMB. He was imprisoned for a long time. His father Mufti Izhar was also arrested later on the same charges. He also spent a long time in prison. When the detectives brought him before the journalists after his arrest, he raised two fingers and made a V-sign and said, “I am the founder of the grand alliance.”

Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury fled immediately after the grenade explosion at Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa. After being on the run for 2 years, he returned to Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa. Mufti Izhar and his son Harun Izhar, along with several others, were accused in three cases filed in connection with the grenade explosion. An arrest warrant was also issued against Mufti Izhar for not taking bail in three cases, including the Explosives, Acid Control Act and a murder case.

Intelligence agencies had said that a base of international militants had been established at the Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Madrasa, located at the foot of the hill in Lalkhan Bazar, under the direction of Mufti Izaharul Islam. From there, the plan to attack the US Embassy and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka in late 2009 was hatched.

The attack was masterminded by the banned Islamic militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. Haroon Izhar, son of Izharul Islam, was associated with it. Police and intelligence officials said that another major terrorist attack was planned from there.

In late 2009, there were reports that militant attacks on two embassies in Dhaka could occur at any time. Based on this information and a telephone call, it was learned that the attack was planned at Mufti Izharul’s madrasa. Some of the international militants associated with it were staying at Mufti Izharul’s madrasa.

Upon receiving this information, the intelligence police conducted a raid on the madrasa and arrested Izhar’s son Harun Izhar and Indian citizens Shahidul, Salam, Sujan and Al Amin alias Maiful, members of the South Indian organization Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Sources said that during the 2009 raid, the intelligence police seized a laptop from Haroon Izhar’s room. The laptop contained information about the attacks on the US and Indian High Commissions. Before the police raid began, T. Nasir and Sarfaraz, two top leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, escaped from there.

On November 6 of that year, two Indian militants were arrested by Indian security forces while they were fleeing across the Kumira border into India. They were involved in several major terrorist attacks, including the bomb attack in Bengaluru’s Computer City. They were the most wanted in India. To avoid arrest, the two militants fled to Bangladesh via Dubai and took refuge in Mufti Izhar’s madrasa.

Earlier, RAB conducted a raid on a hilltop training camp of HuJI in the Raozan Rubber Garden Godarpar area and recovered jihadi books and a large quantity of explosives. Two cases were filed under the Explosives and Anti-Terrorism Acts in this incident. Eight people, including Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, were accused in both cases.

Mufti Izharul Islam was arrested along with two associates by RAB-7 on December 15, 2010, on charges of having links with Harkatul Jihad. RAB arrested the then Amir of Harkatul Jihad (HuJI), Maulana Yahya alias Bardda (46), and his two associates, Md. Bahauddin (22) and Yar Mohammad (50).

During initial interrogation, Yahya said that an organizational office has been opened at Mufti Izharul Islam’s Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa to expand HuJI’s dominance in greater Chittagong. Some militants who were arrested in January 1999 on charges of attempting to kill the late poet Shamsur Rahman said that they had received training at Mufti Izharul Islam’s Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa.

Is militancy rising again in Bangladesh?

Security analysts, however, have different opinions on this matter.

According to them, concerns cannot be reduced by simply stating that there are “no signs of extremism.” Rather, the question is who is making such powerful IEDs, where they are being made, for what purpose they are being left in populated areas, and whether there is an organized network behind them—these issues need to be quickly uncovered.

Regarding the incident of the pipe bomb hidden in an umbrella in Motijheel, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (CTTC) Mohammad Shamsul Haque said that the bomb was attached to the umbrella in such a way that it would explode if the umbrella was opened. This could have caused casualties.

However, later, claiming that the ‘pipe bomb’ incident on the Ultorath Yatra route was a ‘coincidence’, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “All our organizations worked together to ensure that the Rath Yatra and Ultorath Yatra were conducted smoothly. This device (pipe bomb) was found coincidentally on that day. I think it has nothing to do with the Rath Yatra.”

Experts say that militant organizations often conduct organizational preparations silently for a long time. Initially, they test their capabilities through isolated explosives recovery, online propaganda, or small experimental activities. Therefore, they believe that it is necessary to investigate the recent incidents with importance.

According to experts, it is important to further strengthen CCTV monitoring, rapid identification of suspicious objects, bomb disposal capabilities, and intelligence surveillance in metro rail, bus stands, railway stations, shopping malls, religious places of worship, and important facilities.

At the same time, those concerned have urged the general public to immediately inform law enforcement if they see abandoned bags, pressure cookers, umbrellas, or any suspicious objects without touching them.

The question of whether the recovery of two powerful IEDs was merely an isolated sabotage attempt or a prelude to a larger plan remains unanswered. However, the recovery of two high-powered explosives in one week has raised fresh concerns about the country’s security situation.

In light of the horrific experiences of the past, experts say there is no room for complacency. A swift, impartial and thorough investigation must be conducted to determine who is making these explosives, for what purpose they are being placed in populated areas, and whether any organized militant network is behind them.