3 arrested after Gazipur JMB blast..............

RAB detained three suspected JMB operatives Friday evening after a militant in handcuffs exploded a grenade at the office of the superintendent of police for Gazipur Sadar, wounding at least 12 people.

The elite force seized two improvised bombs, 2000 campaign CDs and books on Jihad after a raid on a house Ambagh in Konabarhi of the district, according to a press release.

The arrestees are Mohtasim alias Bashir alias Nasir, 28, Moyez, 26, and Mizan, 25.

Mohtasim is the chief coordinator of the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, military commander for Dhaka Division and a bomb expert, RAB said. He is a senior member of the Sura and the other two are members of the Ehsa of the Islamist outfit.

Earlier in the day, police arrested four militants, three women and one man, of the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh at a house in Hortul of Tongi with a haul of five hand grenades and bomb-making materials.

The arrestees were Mamunur Rashid, Noorjahan, Mina and Marzia.

Gazipur Sadar superintendent of police Abdul Baten was briefing the media on the arrests at around 5pm when the grenade was detonated.

"Some 100 journalists and police were gathered at the SP's conference room," assistant SP (Tongi circle) Jamil Hasan told us.

"As the press briefing concluded, and people were leaving, the photographers were taking photos of the arrestees and the seized explosives," said Hasan.

"One of the militants, Mamunur Rashid, pounced on one of the grenades that were on display for the press."

Mamun removed the pin and threw the grenade before anyone could stop him, said the police official.

"At least 12 people were wounded in the explosion, including officer in charge of Joydevpur Police Station Abdur Rashid and several other policemen and journalists."

Assistant SP of CID Abdul Latif Bhuiyan, officer in charge of the Detective Branch Mohammed Hanif, sub-inspectors DelwBr Hossain, Omar Faruk and 'Mamun', OC Rashid, constables 'Sajib', 'Neyamat' and 'Ayub', Gazipur correspondent of private TV station Channel-I Fazlul Haq Morol, NTV's Nasir Ahmed, freelance press photographer W Rahman were critically wounded, Joydevpur Police Station sub-inspector Nazmul Islam Khan said.

OC Hanif was taken to Apollo Hospital in Dhaka while nine others were admitted to the Combined Military Hospital, Khan added.

A CID bomb disposal unit came and removed the remaining grenades and explosives, said Hasan.

The suspected militants during interrogation admitted to use the explosives to create a security situation.

However, they did not divulge anything on how, when and where they had planned to carry out the attacks.