In an interview with ATN television Nizami claimed that he had never said anything like that. He added, "Rather, I lamented that a terrorist gets 8-column headlines in the press while we don't get coverage even in the inner pages despite being in politics for last 40-45 years."

"If the terrorists are given with banner headlines then hundreds of Bangla Bhais would be created," Nizami recalled his earlier comments.

The Jamaat ameer's statement in the wake of Bangla Bhai's capture contrasts sharply with the one on July 22, 2004, where he said, "Bangla Bhai was created by some newspapers."

Accusing newspapers of having links with Bangla Bhai, he had also said: "If they [newspapers] don't have any relations with him [Bangla Bhai] then how come they publish exclusive interviews with him."

"Police have nothing to do when there is no existence of so-called Bangla Bhai. Whom should they arrest?" said Nizami on June 22 the same year while speaking at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with reporters from different national dailies.

On March 13, 2005, he said: "They (AL) want to split the four-party alliance through peddling propaganda on the existence of so called militancy. They (AL) know it well that if the alliance exists it won't be possible for them to win the next election."

Talking to the ATN yesterday, he reiterated his resolve to establish Islamic laws in the country. He noted, "Jamaat has no ideologies of its own, rather it follows to the letter the Quranic dictates that came from Allah through the prophet."

In response to the opposition's criticism that the recent arrests of the militant kingpins were timed to coincide with the US President Bush's subcontinent visit, he referred to a book (having references to militancy) that he claimed the then Awami League government had handed to visiting ex-US president Bill Clinton.