Mustafa Kamal, the youth caught “red-handed” with bombs during Monday's attack on prison vans, had left his home in Mymensingh one and a half months ago, police claimed.
During the attack, three of his accomplices showed him the vans and asked him to hurl crude bombs at them, said Firoz Talukder, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tongi Police Station.
Mustafa threw two crude bombs but both of them missed the target, said the OC after the arrestee's primary interrogation.
The police officer did not disclose the identity of the other three youths, who managed to flee.
Police were raiding different places to arrest them, reports our Gazipur correspondent.
Firoz also claimed that Mustafa had been involved in militancy for the last three years. He, however, did not say whether the youth had a hand in any other attacks for “the sake of investigation”.
Mustafa was a student at Jamia Emdadia Hedayennahu Zannat Madrasa in Sheikherchar village in Narsingdi's Madhabdi upazila for some three years. He had been absent from there for the last three months, the OC claimed.
However, our correspondent in Narsingdi reported that Mustafa is a student of Jamia Emdadia Arabia Madrasa at Shekher Char of Baburhat in Narsingdi Sadar.
The OC's claim that Mustafa was absent from his madrasa was also contradicted by his family and the madrasa authorities.
Madrasa documents show Mustafa was born in 1997.
Ashraf Ali, principal of the institution that has some 560 students, said Mustafa was admitted there during the last Ramadan.
He said Mustafa took a leave to visit his village in Mymensingh after one of his exams ended on February 9.
Ashraf, also the president of the madrasa's governing body, said he could not believe that Mustafa was involved in militancy.
Talking to our Mymensingh correspondent, Mustafa's family members claimed that he last called them on February 12 and asked for Tk 500 to come home for a week.
Son of a farmer, Mustafa had last visited home in Purbo Paguli under Tarakanda upazila in December last year, said his mother Achhia Khatun.
Suspected militants hurled several bombs at a convoy of four prison vans
near Tongi College Gate area on Monday. One of the vans was carrying condemned Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and his associates.
The bombs did not hit any of the targets.
Police suspect the attack was carried out to snatch the top militant.
The law enforcers claimed that they recovered a homemade grenade, five crude bombs, two petrol bombs, two machetes, some bomb-making materials and Tk 7,000 from the possession of Mustafa, who was “arrested with the bombs” from the scene.
Police and Rapid Action Battalion members raided the home of Mustafa and interrogated his relatives on Monday. The law enforcers, however, did not find anything suspicious, said Mazaharul Haque, OC of Tarakanda Police Station.
Meanwhile, the prison authorities yesterday asked all jails to ensure high security following the attack on the vans on Monday, said officials.
CASE FILED
A case was filed in connection with Monday's attack on the prison van against Mustafa and at least eight unknown people with Tongi Police Station.
Ajoy Kumar, a sub-inspector of the station, filed the case under the anti-terrorism act.
Yesterday, police produced Mustafa before a Gazipur court with a 10-day remand prayer. The court, however, granted a five-day remand for him.