Rab arrests fugitive convict in August 21 grenade attack case

Rab claims to have arrested a fugitive convict in the August 21 grenade attack case from Dhaka's Diabari area.

The arrestee was identified as Md Iqbal Hossain alias Iqbal alias Jahangir alias Selim. Iqbal, hailing from Jhenaidah, was a member of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh (Huji), according to Rab.

A Rab team arrested Iqbal from Diabari area around 3:00am, based on information of National Security Intelligence, Rab Director General Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said at the press briefing around noon today.

During primary interrogation, Iqbal told Rab that he directly took part in August 21 grenade attack, the Rab DG said.

Iqbal hurled a grenade provided by Huji chief Mufti Abdul Hannan during the incident, the Rab DG said.

After the incident, he returned to Jhenaidah and since then he remained absconding, he added.

Iqbal was involved with Chhatra Dal in 1994 in Jhenaidah. He joined Huji in 2001 and met with Mufti Hannan in 2003. He left Bangladesh in 2008, according to Rab.

At the end of 2020, Iqbal was sent back from a foreign country where he was staying illegally, the Rab DG said.

He was sentenced to life in prison by a Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal in the August 21 grenade attack case.

A Dhaka court on October 10, 2018 sentenced 19 persons to death and 19 others to life imprisonment in connection with the case.

At least 24 people were killed and around 300 injured in the grisly attack on an Awami League rally on the capital's Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.

Sheikh Hasina, the then opposition leader in parliament, narrowly escaped the attack with an ear injury.

The grenade attack, masterminded by some BNP leaders, is one of the most shocking political crimes in the country's history.