7 bombs recovered in Bangladesh, 4 suspects arrested

Dhaka, Oct 14 (UNI) Bangladesh Police arrested four suspected militants after recovering seven crude bombs in the country's southern district of Barguna late last night.

The Police feared the bombs could be used during the Muslim religious festival of Eid al-Fitr or Hindu festival of ''Durga Puja'' (worship of Hindu deity Durga).

The authorities have tightened the security network in Dhaka and in other parts of Bangladesh, ensuring smooth celebrations of the religious festivals.

Some 6,000 police and elite force of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed in the nation's capital to maintain order.

In Barguna, a police team arrested four people on charges of making and possessing the bombs.

A bomb expert of RAB defused two bombs today. Two pencil batteries, some pieces of glass and electric circuits were found in the bombs, police said.

Bomb experts said the explosives were not powerful and were made to create panic. Five bombs were kept in a bucket full of water, in the district police station for further test.

However, the Police could not immediately confirm if the arrested people were members of any Islamic outfit. They were being interrogated.

The country was rocked by synchronised bombings by militants of banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on August 17, 2005 leaving three people dead and several hundreds injured. The JMB wants to establish Islamic rule in this predominantly Muslim country.

The government rounded up JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and more than 700 JMB cadres.

The current military backed caretaker government hanged six JMB kingpins including Shaikh Rahman and Bangla Bhai early this year.

UNI