"Boma" Shakil is the man Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) found as the most talented explosive expert after "Boma" Mizan.

A diploma holder in electrical engineering, Shakil sincerely performed his task of manufacturing grenades and other explosives, and training fellow operatives in bomb-making in the last two and a half years. He took charge after a long gap since Boma Mizan was arrested in May 2009.

Fellow militants freed Mizan and two other top militants in an armed ambush on February 23 last year. Police suspect he has been hiding abroad.

Sources in law enforcement agencies say Shakil belongs to a JMB faction which continues to spread its network despite claims that the spine of the outfit had been ripped off through anti-militancy drives.

Apart from training its members in explosive making and shooting, this group has been providing radical motivation to fresh recruits.

The group's strength came to light after its key den in Mirpur and another in Chittagong were busted recently. A sophisticated semi-automatic sniper rifle and a huge consignment of grenades and bomb-making materials were seized from the dens.

The Mirpur den was their prime training and bomb-making centre. There are several other regional centres, like the one in Chittagong, at different places, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of DB of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Sanwar Hossain.

Detectives suspect Shakil is the architect and maker of the improvised grenades and bombs used in recent attacks on a Shia gathering at Hossaini Dalan, two mosques in a Chittagong navy area and an Ahmadiyya mosque in Rajshahi.

These could be their test cases, added detectives.  

"The nature and ingredients of the explosives suggest that they are made by the same group," Sanwar told The Daily Star yesterday.

Shakil has already turned at least two JMB operatives into full-fledged bomb makers. Seven to eight others have also been partially trained up.

Taufique-ul Islam alias Javed alias Rana, a Chittagong JMB operative killed in a "grenade explosion", was trained in bomb-making from the Mirpur den. The 22-year-old militant hailing from Kishoreganj was a commander and chief of the explosive section of Chittagong JMB.

The group has around 25 "Fedains" who are ready to sacrifice their lives for JMB's cause -- establishing the rule of Islam through an armed struggle, said a top DB official, adding that around a dozen of such operatives have been arrested. 

Shakil used to visit different areas of the country to train recruits and make bombs and grenades as per the organisation's requirements, said DMP's DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam.

He also said the JMB faction had at least 60 active operatives and over 100 supporters.

Hailing from Bogra, Shakil, also known as Mostafizer Rahman/ Mostaq/Nazrul Islam in the organisation, completed his study at Bogra Polytechnic Institute seven years back.

He worked in a private firm for four years. During his service, he become acquainted with some JMB members and began to be radicalised. Due to his academic background, he was given the charge of collecting ingredients, making bombs and training members in explosives.

Shakil eventually became one of top three men of the faction. Initially, he set up his den in Badda area and then moved to Mirpur, detectives said.

He was paid a monthly remuneration of Tk 10,000. Around 20 to 25 other full-timers also get salary from the organisation.

Shakil and JMB second-in-command in Dhaka region Sohel Rana Hiron slipped through police fingers blending with the tenants who were being taken out of the building during the raid on the Mirpur den, officials said.

PM'S DIRECTIVES

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday directed ministers to remain alert to militant activities saying that a new conspiracy is being hatched against the country nowadays.

The PM said some local and international quarters are behind the plot. She told the ministers to maintain extra caution, cabinet sources said.

The discussion came up after Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon raised an issue of December 31 night celebration.

Contacted, Menon told The Daily Star that the PM's directives came as there are security concerns in the country following the recent militant activities.