JMB suicide bomber Alam trained 200 men in Netrakona

He also told interrogators that he joined JMB in 2002 and recruited and trained 200 men in the district since then, intelligence sources said.

He was a close associate of JMB 'military commander' Ataur Tahman Sunny, arrested from Dhaka early this month.

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Alam was arrested on December 19 in a raid on his Madanpur village home in Netrakona Sadar upazila. Police raided his house acting on a tip-off that he came home after Sunny's arrest. He was placed on four days' remand on Wednesday.

The sources said that of the 200 JMB cadres, 65 are from Atpara upazila and the rest are from Netrakona Sadar, Purbadhala, Kendua and Barhatta upazilas.

Ninety-five of the cadres in the district are Madrasa students, the sources said.

Police also arrested two other JMB suspects along with Alam. They are Akkas Ali of Faridpur and Badsha Mia of Gaibanda.

Police sources said the two are innocent and were not involved with JMB or in the December 8 blasts. A report have been submitted to court stating that they are innocent, according to investigation officer of the case, SI Sunil Chandra Sarkar of Netrakona thana. He said the report is based on reports received from relevant police stations in Faridpur and Gaibandha.

Meanwhile, police failure to arrest any more JMB activist fifteen days after the carnage in the town has raised questions and created panic among people.

Some townspeople talking to this correspondent said they apprehend such suicide bombing again because the JMB activists are yet to be nabbed. They also alleged that police are not serious to nab the Islmaist militants.

High level sources in police claimed that their initiative in this regard is string-pulled by ruling party leaders in the district.