Security tightened as militants threaten to blow up bridge
By Staff Reporter
Fri, 18 May 2007, 13:12:00

Law enforcing agencies have intensified security vigil in the entire north western region of the country following a militant Islamist outfit threatened to blow up the crucial Hardinge Bridge that links the southwestern region with northern Bangladesh over the River Padma.

Zadid (new) al-Qaeda sent a letter to a senior railway official on Thursday threatening to blow up the bridge prompting an immediate security step up. The government immediately tightened security arrangement on and around the Hardinge Bridge from Thursday, official sources said.

The Zadid al-Qaeda, earlier this month exploded bombs at the Bangladesh’s three railway stations, in which one person was injured, and left at the scenes aluminum plates inscribed with call for the holy war against minority Kadiani Muslim sect and ordering all NGO activists to quit their jobs by May 10.

The government had intensified security across the country following the bomb blasts at Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet railway stations.

The Army-led Joint Forces deployed extra personnel to guard the bridge and hunt suspected militants, who also in fresh letters recently ordered NGO officials and workers in northern Pabna to leave their job within next one month or face their wrath.

The threat came days after the newspapers reported that banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) remnants now regrouped with fellow militants of other extremist outfits to carry forward the self-assigned task of Islamic rule of their brand after six of their top leaders were executed.

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