Home ministry officials said State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar held an emergency meeting with the top officials of intelligence agencies, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) to work out the steps.

Earlier, intelligence said the operatives of the outfit were planning to bomb private universities, other educational institutions, hospitals and shopping complexes.

An intelligence agency obtained an audiotape of the conversations of the outfit operatives about their blueprint. Copies of the audiotape were given to other security agencies and the police.

The meeting decided to take both defensive and offensive measures to foil the plan and track down the terrorists.

The terror alert came 13 days after a series of grenade attacks on an Awami League rally on August 21 killed 19 people in the capital that came under sharp watch of international terrorism investigators.

Rab and the DMP have been tasked with carrying out the counter-measures with support from the Special Branch (SB) and the Detective Branch (DB) of police.

Rab has sought 80 vehicles from the government to conduct the operations.

The officials will sit with the authorities of the organisations on the terrorists' 'strike list' and suggest measures to ward off the planned attacks as part of the defensive policy.

The government has asked Rab and the police to arrest suspects in a bid to hunt down the terror group. Undercover police have been deployed at different places to keep a close watch on the targets.

The home secretary, inspector general of police, DMP commissioner and top SB and DB officials attended the hurriedly called meeting at the home ministry.