Sleuths warned of sabotage before the murder of foreigners: Home minister

Sleuths had passed on intelligence about possible acts of sabotage before the murder of two foreign nationals, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said.

The minister shared the information on Wednesday while replying to a question by journalists at an event in Dhaka.
 
Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies have come under a hail of criticism following the killing of two expats in Dhaka and Rangpur within a span of five days.
 
When asked if these agencies had failed to offer any forewarning, Kamal said: “The detectives had passed on prior information. They had said there could be some acts of sabotage.”
 
The security agencies are yet to find out the motive behind the killings. There have been no arrests either.
 
The home minister said a probe was on to find out whether the murders were a reaction to the death penalties awarded to 1971 war crimes convicts.

Media reports have cited an Indian intelligence hunch that the Jamaat-e-Islami might be involved.

But Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was wary of being categorical. “I don’t want to speculate about who might be involved before a probe is complete,” he said.

He said the intelligence agencies were exploring all possible angles and that diplomats had been informed on Tuesday about the nature of the investigations.

Italian citizen Cesare Tavella was shot dead in Dhaka on Sep 28 and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was gunned down in a similar fashion in Rangpur on Oct 3.

The two murders were carried out even as Australia, the UK, and the US cautioned their citizens in Bangladesh about their movements, fearing militant attacks.

US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat had told the media on Monday that they had reliable information on which the advisory was based.

But Kamal on Wednesday said the diplomatic corps had at no point told the government about their apprehension of attacks on foreigners or shared any data.

The home minister had earlier said that the government had intelligence regarding possible attacks on ministers and VIPs.

Militant group Islamic State had reportedly owned responsibility for the two murders, but the government has dismissed the notion.

The minister also faced a barrage of media questions on Gaibandha’s Awami League MP Manjurul Islam Liton being allowed to roam free after having shot and injured a child at Sundarganj Upazila.

 “The law is the same for all. He will have to face justice even though he is a ruling party MP, a leader and activist,” he said.

When asked why the killers of former PDB chairman Muhammad Khijir Khan and Maulana Nurul Islam Farooqi, and others were still at large, Kamal said: “The law-enforcing agencies and the Detective Branch are working on the cases.”