Naval base blast: 5 JMB men to walk gallows

A Chattogram tribunal yesterday sentenced five operatives of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh to death in the case filed over the bomb attack on a mosque inside a naval base in Chattogram in 2015. 

Chattogram Anti-Terrorism Tribunal Judge Abdul Halim pronounced the verdict against them, Public Prosecutor advocate Manoranjan Das told The Daily Star.

The convicts are: M Sakhawat Hossain, former Navy member; Abdul Mannan and Ramzan Ali, Isha Kha Base's ball keepers; Abdul Gaffar, Mannan's brother; and Bablu Rahman Rony, a mess worker.

All the convicts but Shakhawat, now on the run, were present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered.

"The court handed down the verdict under the Anti-Terrorism Act's sections 6(2) and 12, and also fined them Tk 50,000 each," Manoranjan said.

The court observed that an attack on those who ensure sovereignty of the country and guard maritime boundary is tantamount to an attack on the country's independence and sovereignty, he added.

Defence lawyer Jalal Uddin told reporters that the case was filed "a year after the incident" and that statements of none of the accused were recorded under Section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure. He also alleged that no witness testimony was taken under Section 164, and that there was no seizure list.

"We will appeal against the verdict in the High Court."

The JMB attackers detonated bombs at the mosque inside the naval base during Juma prayers on December 18, 2015. The incident left 24 defence personnel and civilians injured. Ten of them were hospitalised.

After nine months of the incident, Chattogram Naval Provost Marshal Commander M Abu Sayed filed the case accusing four JMB men.

According to the case statement, Chattogram JMB's chief commander Raisul Islam Khan Noman alias Nafis alias Fardin led the attack. During investigation, police found involvement of arrested Abdul Mannan's brother, JMB operative Abdul Gaffar.

Fardin died in an explosion in Sherpur of Bogura on April 3, 2016 while making hand grenades.

After a long probe, Osman Goni, the investigation officer and inspector (investigation) of EPZ Police Station, pressed charges against the five JMB men on October 25, 2017.