JMB reorganising on a 'small scale'

Outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which carried out countrywide synchronised bomb attacks eight years ago, is still trying to reorganise, albeit on a “very small scale”, informed Rab Legal and Media Wing Director ATM Habibur Rahman yesterday.
With its whole network dismantled, the banned militant outfit has almost no strength left to carry out any subversive activity, he told The Daily Star.
“Some JMB members were recently caught printing leaflets and posters, suggesting that they were active...but they will never succeed as Rab members across the country are always on alert to arrest them,” he added.
The Islamist outfit grasped the spotlight as a hardcore militant organisation after blasting 459 time bombs in 63 districts on August 17, 2005 leaving two persons dead and 50 others injured.
In subsequent attacks, they also killed a number of people including two judges in Jhalakathi, sending a chill through the nation.
JMB founding ameer Shaikh Abdur Rahman along with his second-in-command, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, and four others were executed on March 30, 2007 in the judges' killing case.
Since the attacks, 362 cases have been filed against around 800 JMB members, around 700 of whom have been arrested till date.
Of the cases, 161 were filed in connection with the August 17 blasts accusing 660 JMB leaders and operatives.
According to Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), 102 of the 161 cases were disposed of. In those, 247 JMB members were convicted and awarded death and different jail terms. The remaining 59 cases are now under trial.
Of the convicted militants, 15, including the top JMB leaders, were awarded death penalty, 118 life term imprisonment and 99 different terms while another 118 persons were exempted from the cases.
A total of 57 accused JMB operatives are still absconding while 35 were released on bail.
Asked about the activities of other banned organisations, Habibur Rahman said currently all of the banned organisations have become inactive as Rab had arrested the top leaders and brought them to book.
He, however, said some of the militant organisation members, at different times, had made ill-attempts secretly and tried to resurface under different new names but failed due to the vigilance by Rab.