18th anniversary of August 17 series blasts today

The 18th anniversary of the countrywide simultaneous bomb attacks carried out by the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on August 17, 2005 is being observed on Thursday, reports BSS.

Two persons were killed and over 50 people wounded as the outfit carried out the bomb attacks at about 500 points in all districts except Munshiganj on August 17 in 2005.

According to police, 159 cases were lodged in different parts of the country over the blasts.

Trial in 94 cases has already been completed in which 334 people were sentenced with different terms in jail while trial in 55 cases against 386 JMB operatives were under trial, the sources said.

A total of 349 accused in the serial blasts were acquitted of the charges, it added.

Twenty-seven accused in the serial blasts were handed down with death penalty and eight of them were hanged.

Of the 159 cases, 18 were filed in Dhaka city, eight in Chattogram Metropolitan Police, four in Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, three in Khulna Metropolitan Police, 12 in Barisal Metropolitan Police, 10 in Sylhet Metropolitan Police, 23 in Dhaka Range, 11 in Chattogram Range, 7 in Rajshahi Range, 23 in Khulna Range, 7 in Barisal Range, 16 in Sylhet Range, 8 in Rangpur Range, 6 in Mymensingh Range and three in Railway Police Range.

The JMB had shown their existence to the nation by carrying out the series blasts on August 17, 2005. But their organizational activities suffered a huge setback with the execution of death sentences of JMB's top six leaders in 2007.

The six leaders -- Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in-command Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, think-tank Abdul Awal, Khaled Saifullah and Salahuddin -- were hanged on March 30 in 2007 in the case for the killing of two judges in Jhalokathi district.