DHAKA, Oct 9, 2018 (BSS) – Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI) chief Mufty
Abdul Hannan, whose banned outfit carried out the August 21, 20014 grenade
attack, in his confessional statement said they proceeded with BNP’s acting
chairman fugitive Tarique Rahman’s full support.
“Tarique Zia assured us all kinds of help,” read Hannan’s confessional
statement before a magistrate as part of legal procedure for trial as BSS
reviewed the related documents ahead of tomorrow’s judgment on the August 21
Grenade Attack case.
Hannan, by now executed after trial in another case, said he along with
Maulana Abdus Salam, Maulana Abdur Rauf, Maulana Tajuddin and Pakistani
national Abdul Mazed Butt held a meeting in 2004 at Mohammadpur area and
planned to assassinate Sheikh Hasina and other Awami League leaders.
He said Tazuddin took the responsibility of collecting grenades and said
“his brother deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and then state minister for
Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar would help us”.
Hannan said they then decided to contact Tarique Rahman and on the next
day former BNP lawmaker Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad took them to Hawa
Bhaban “where he introduced us to Tarique Zia and Haris Chowdhury”.
“As we sought their help for our operation, Tarique Zia assured us all
kinds of help in this regard,” he told in his statement before Dhaka’s
additional chief metropolitan magistrate AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuian ahead of
his indictment.
Hannan said the assailants came to know in early August, 2004 that Awami
League was set to stage an anti-terrorism rally in city’s Muktangan
protesting a previous grenade attack in Sylhet, carried out by HuJI.
“We planned to carry out attack on Sheikh Hasina and other Awami League
leaders there. We decided to meet again Tareque Zia to execute the plan,” he
said. Hannan said they then went to Hawa Bhaban and saw there Haris
Chowdhury, Lutfuzzaman Babar, Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid.
He said the then director general of Directorate General of Forces
Intelligence (DGFI) Brigadier Rezzakul Haider and Brigadier Abdur Rahim and
then director general of National Security Intelligence (NSI) were present
there as well.
“A little later Tarique Zia appeared there,” Hannan said.
He said the HuJI delegation then explained their assassination plan and
“they (Tarique and others) assured us all kinds of help from the
administration”.
“Tarique told us, we don’t need to come here (Hawa Bhaban) anymore and
asked us to proceed, maintaining contact with Babar and (Salam) Pintu saying
they will extend you all cooperation,” Hannan said.
He said the assailants met Pintu and Babar and Pintu’s official residence
in Dhanmandi on August 18 where municipal commissioner Arif and transport
operator Mohammad Hanif of Hanif Paribahan were present as well.
Pintu and Babar, Hannan said, reassured the assailants of all security
arrangements for the killers while they would stage the attack.
He said the assailants collected 15 grenades and Taka 20,000 from Pintu’s
house and took those to their militant den in Badda area.
“As planned, on August 21, 2004, we carried out grenade attack in front of
Awami League office (Bangabandhu Avenue),” Hannan added.
Hannan and his associate Shahidul Alam Bipul were hanged for 2004 grenade
attack at Hazrat Shahjalal’s shrine in Sylhet and following their execution
their names were dropped from the case in line with legal procedure.