Bangladesh police hunt potential suicide bombers

Reuters ^ | 16 Nov 2005

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DHAKA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Police in Bangladesh are hunting about 2,000 potential suicide bombers from three banned militant groups demanding the introduction of Islamic law in the mainly Muslim democracy, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

He said many of the militants had trained in Afghanistan under the Taliban and might be preparing more attacks after two judges were killed in a bomb blast this week.

"They have assembled in the country to destabilise democracy," said the police officer, who asked not to be named.

"All the country's law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been ordered to put concerted efforts into capturing the members of the suicide squad," he told Reuters.

Bangladeshi police acknowledged for the first time the presence of home-grown potential suicide bombers after the two judges were killed on Monday by a bomb thrown at their car in the coastal town of Jhalakathi, 250 km (155 miles) from Dhaka.

A wounded young man detained at the scene told interrogators at a Dhaka hospital he was a member of the suicide squad of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen group.

"I was assigned to kill and die," the man, named Mamun, told a private television channel at the hospital where he is being treated for multiple injuries from the blast.

"I wished to be a martyr in my efforts to establish sharia-based Islamic rule in Bangladesh," he added.