Foiled bomb plot: IS claims responsibility, police refute existence
The CTTC suspect that a domestic militant outfit planted the bombs to demoralize the police
The international terror group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s foiled bomb plot in Dhaka, according to a report published by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group.
However, several Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit officials have refuted the IS claim, suspecting that a domestic militant outfit might have planted the bombs to demoralise the police.
“At the very primary stage, we think it might be a militant attempt,” Inspector General of Police Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a senior CTTC official on condition of anonymity said that militants are active in the country despite massive anti-terrorist drives undertaken by the police.
“However, this does not mean that the Islamic State [also known as ISIS] is present in Bangladesh, the official said.
As primary suspects behind the incident, several CTTC officials are suspecting members of Neo JMB, a radical extension of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh.
“Some Neo JMB members can make the type of bombs that were found around the traffic police boxes. This is why we are suspecting them,” said Wahiduzzaman Noor, assistant commissioner of the CTTC.
Police retrieved six explosive devices planted around two traffic police boxes in Khamarbari and Paltan areas of the capital on Tuesday night.
The bombs were made using plastic bottles full of inflammable liquid.
“Miscreants added those bottles full of flammable liquid to the bombs to ensure greater harm, which they have done before,” said the CTTC assistant commissioner.
The Bomb Disposal Unit of the CTTC defused the bombs within a few hours after they were found and took samples for further investigation. Two different cases have been filed with the Tejgaon and Paltan police stations in this regard.
The type of explosive found at the scenes was IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) bombs. But they were of different composition from those found by the police earlier in different militant hideouts in the country.
