4 cases filed over Sitakunda raid

Four lawsuits have been filed over yesterday’s Sitakunda raid, which resulted in deaths of four “militants” and rescue of 20 people in an overnight drive “Assault 16”.

Charges have been filed under Arms Act, Anti-Terrorism Act, assault on police and murder attempt with Sitakunda Police Station, our local staff correspondent reports.

Chittagong district police Superintendent Nur-e-Alam Mina confirmed the development and said the cases were filed this afternoon.

Read more: 4 militants killed in Ctg raid

‘Wait to ascertain identity of militants’

The “militants” killed during yesterday’s joint raid in Chittagong’s Sitakunda are suspected to be of Neo JMB group, police SP Nur-e-Alam Mina said.

“Primarily we are suspecting they belonged to Neo JMB. Only after DNA profiling, their identity can be ascertained,” Nur-e-Alam Mina, superintendent of Chittagong police, said.

The militant couples detained on Wednesday from a “Neo JMB hideout” at a two-storey building in Chittagong's Sitakunda upazila might have links with the dead militants, he said.

‘Neo JMB’

“Neo JMB”, as law enforcers call it, is an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

The “Neo JMB”, formed by leaders and operatives of mainstream JMB who did not accept the leadership of Saidur Rahman, follows the ideology of Islamic State (IS).

“Neo JMB” coordinator Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury was killed along with his two accomplices in an operation at a militant den in Narayanganj on August 27, 2016. He was thought to be the Gulshan attack mastermind.

Apart from Gulshan attack, the gang ensured ingredients for improvised grenades that were used in all attacks perpetrated by “Neo JMB” in recent years, police said.