Suicide Blast: 'Suspect' dies

A youth died hours after he was picked up by the Rapid Action Battalion from near its Ashkona barrack, the site of Friday's suicide blast. The reason is yet to be known.

The body of the dead identified as Hanif Mridha, of Amtoli in Barguna district, bore no marks of significant injury, said Sohel Mahmud, head of the forensic medicine department of Dhaka Medical College, after an autopsy.

“We collected samples from the heart, lungs and blood for tests. A report will be prepared on receiving the results of the tests.” 

Friday's blast at the barrack took place around 1:00pm. 

More than three hours later, Rab men picked up Hanif for his suspicious movement around the barrack and took him to a Rab camp in Uttara. As he felt chest pain inside the camp, he was rushed to Kurmitola General Hospital, according to Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab's legal and media wing director. 

Doctors declared him dead that day around 5:45pm, he said.

The media ran news on Hanif's death yesterday after the body was sent to DMC morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, Rab filed a case with Bimanbandar Police Station, stating that the youth aged between 25 and 30 who sneaked into its barrack and blew himself up had seven to eight associates around the spot. The suicide attacker was wearing black pant, white half shirt and a black and yellow border cap and carrying a bag on his shoulder. 

The law-enforcement agency also said the attack was made in revenge for continuous crackdown by its members on militants. 

The attacker kept his right hand on his chest when he was told by Rab lance corporal Mizanur Rahman to give his identity. As he did it, the bomb he was carrying exploded, according to the FIR.

His identity could not be known yet.

Upon an autopsy on the attacker's body, Sohel Mahmud, of DMC, said the youth was killed by the explosion and that the body had electric wires, belt and scotch-tapes attached to it.

All key establishments including prisons, airports and offices of Rab and police have been on alert since the country's first-ever attack inside the compound of a law enforcement agency. Checkpoints have been set up at major points in the capital to avoid further such incidents.

Mufti Mahmud said law enforcers were trying to find a match of the attacker's fingerprint from the national database.

Meanwhile, a 55-year-old woman named Amirun went to the Rab's barrack and claimed that the suicide attacker was her son Rafique who had been missing for the last five days.

Tracing back her village home in South Chinguria under Bhandaria upazila of Pirojpur, The Daily Star talked to her husband's second wife Niru Begum.

Niru said Amirun had become mentally sick after the death of her eldest son Faruq Hossain, a readymade garment worker, 10 years ago.

“As the woman [Amirun] claimed the attacker was her son, we are interrogating her and trying to verify the claim,” said Mufti Mahmud, Rab's legal wing director.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a party programme yesterday said the government would continue its strict action against militancy and terrorism.

“There'll be no place for militancy and terrorism on Bangladesh's soil.”

Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque in Bogra said militants in the last two attacks in a span of 24 hours tried to send the message that they exist, but law enforcers had been trying to uproot them, reports our Bogra correspondent.