Suicide vests, explosives found in raid on Jhenaidah 'militant hideout'

The security forces have a 'huge' cache of explosives and 'some' suicide vests but found no suspects during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Jhenaidah.

The law enforcers cordoned off the tin-roofed house at Porhahati in Sadar Upazila on Friday evening after gathering intelligence about militants using it as a hideout. 

Sanwar Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of police's counterterrorism unit, told bdnews24.com around 8:30pm that no one was found in the house.

"A huge amount of chemicals is scattered in the rooms. Some suicide vests can also be seen. We are taking instruments to dispose of the explosives," he said.

Sanwar also said the Neo-JMB, the revived edition of militant group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, was using the house to as a 'bomb factory'. 

Jhenaidah Superintendent of Police Mizanbur Rahman told bdnews24.com that the owner of the two-room house, 'Abdullah', converted to Islam from Hinduism five years ago.

Mohibul Islam Khan, Deputy Commissioner of police's counterterrorism unit, earlier told bdnews24.com they surrounded the house following intelligence inputs that militants were staying in the house.

"We are almost certain that there is no one in the house now. But we suspect there is a huge cache of explosives in it," he had said.

Police asked the onlookers and reporters around 8:45pm to move away to a safe distance.

The law enforcers later announced that the details of the raid would be revealed at a press conference on Saturday.