Dhaka: The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) of police detained five suspected members of banned militant organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh (JMB) at Mirpur in Dhaka, said CTTC chief Monirul Islam.

Monirul Islam during a press briefing arranged by Dhaka Metropolitan Media Centre in Dhaka’s Mintoo road on Wednesday said the detainees were collecting explosive as they were planning to commit sabotage in Dhaka on the New Year eve on 31 December.

The detainees are Mohammad Riaz alias Engineer alias Rakib, Mohammad Abu Bin Saim alias Bappi alias Opu, Kazi Abdullah Al Osman alias Ahsan, Mohammad Shohag alias Chairman, and Mohammad Mamun alias Himel.

Monirul Islam said acting tipped off, the law enforcers held five suspected members of JMB during a drive at Mirpur’s Darus Salam in Dhaka at about 5:55pm on Tuesday.

The CTTC chief said police seized 30kilograms of liquid and powder explosive materials, electrical equipment for making bombs, and propaganda books from their possession.

Primarily, the detainees confessed their involvement with old-JMB.  They claimed themselves as active members of JMB, who were working to collect explosives for conducting a violent act on the eve of New Year.

The detainees also admitted that JMB Rajshahi region’s activists, Zia, Haider, and Shahidulla, ordered them to collect the explosives.

Talking to the journalists Monirul Islam said member of JMB are trying to reunite. The JMB activists have been carrying out robberies and mishaps in order to collect money to purchase arms and increase their manpower.