The 18th anniversary of the serial bomb attacks carried out by Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) across the country on August 17 in 2005 is being observed today (Thursday).
On that day in 2005, around 500 bombs went off at 300 places in all districts except Munshiganj. The bombs exploded in the space of half an hour from 11:30 am.
The 30-minute bombings killed two people in Chapainawabganj and Savar and injured 100 others in different parts of the country.
According to the Police Headquarters, 159 cases were filed with different police stations in connection with the serial bomb blasts.
Police submitted charge sheets in 142 cases against 1,072 people, and final reports were submitted in 17 cases as the accused could not be identified. A total of 961 accused were arrested.
The trials in 94 cases have already been disposed of in which 334 people were sentenced to different terms of jail while 55 cases are still under trial, the sources said.
Twenty-seven accused in the serial blasts were handed down capital punishment -- eight of them were hanged.
The JMB tried to showcase its existence to the nation by carrying out the blasts 18 years ago, but its activities suffered a huge setback with the execution of the death sentences of its six top leaders in 2007.
The six leaders — Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, strategist Abdul Awal, Khaled Saifullah and Salahuddin — were hanged on March 30, 2007 for the killings of two judges in Jhalakathi district.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
