Admitting to carrying out the bomb attack, he introduced himself as Abdur Razzak, 20, son of Abdul Khalek, of Chapainawabganj. He also had about 20 JMB leaflets with him when arrested.

On information provided by Razzak, Chapainawabganj police picked up 10 of his relatives and neighbours, raiding his and grandfather's homes at Jamaat dominated Tikrampur areas in the town, our Rajshahi correspondent added.

Razzak told reporters that he carried out the attack following Allah's order. When asked who gave him the order, Razzak said, "I got the order from Quran."

Razzak also said that his target was the deputy commissioner's office. He tried to enter the office, but 'police made it all wrong.'

Immediately after the blast, he stood still although he suffered severe injuries. Cops who stood close to him asked him to lie down but he refused. "I will kill them all, blow all of them and I want to be a shahid," he shouted, claiming to have been 'carrying out orders of Allah'.

"The fire service men forced him to lie down on the ground, pouring water on him," said Constable Mizanur Rahman.

"I along with several of my fellow policemen aimed our gun at him but he put his hand inside the jacket he was wearing," he continued.

"We threatened to shoot him - thinking he might have had another bomb inside his jacket - if he does not pull out his hand," said another constable Aiyub. "But, instead he gave us a smile, a smile of joy."

A police official ordered the constables not to shoot and to keep him alive. Two constables then ran to him and held his hands behind his back.

He was first taken to Gazipur Sadar Hosptial where he underwent surgery, then later referred to Orthopaedics hospital in Dhaka, where he underwent further surgery.

Razzak told reporters at Gazipur Sadar Hospital that he came to Tongi from Chapainawabganj on November 30. He stayed at a residential hotel called Hotel Anamika Anasik at Tongi.

The hotel authorities said Razzak introduced himself as Shakil, son of Abdus Sattar, of Rajshahi. "He [Razzak] told us that he came to Tongi for a visit and boarded into the hotel at 11:00am on November 30 for two days," said Abdul Salam, manager of the hotel.

He only carried a small shopping bag with him, Salam continued. "A scarf was only viewed on the top of the bag," he added.

Hotel boy Reaz told The Daily Star that he went out of the hotel at noon, came back in the afternoon and did not have his lunch or dinner at the hotel.

A youth of his age came to meet him Wednesday evening and the two went out, said another manager, Nasir Uddin. Razzak then returned to the hotel alone at around 10:30pm.

The hoteliers said that he did not seem suspicious, adding that he went out of the hotel yesterday morning at 7:00am.

Razzak said he went to Gazipur yesterday morning from Tongi on a bus and remained mum about what he did there before the blast.

The arrestees in Chapainawabganj are his day-labourer father Abdul Khalek, uncle Abdul Karim, Karim's wife, mother, grandmother, maternal uncle, maternal aunt and a few neighbours.

Nothing offensive was found during the raid, said an official, only an Arabic magazine.

Razzak's grandfather, Alhaj Ahmed Ali, a Jamaat adherent, fled away sensing the police operation.

Razzak, a class X student of Namo Shankarbati Hefzul Madrassah at the town's Natunhati areas, left the house on the 9th day of Ramadan.

His parents and grandmother informed police that Razzak used to live in his grandfather's house for two years. He did not go back after he left the house.

Neighbours said that Razzak became involved with Jamaat-Shibir after he shifted to his grandfather's house and his grandfather did not answer their repeated questions why he did not return home during the Eid.