CTTC conducts raid on three-story building, recovers 14 pipe bombs in Savar

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police surrounded a three-story building in the Shyampur area of Hemayetpur in Savar for nearly four hours, recovering 14 powerful pipe bombs, a large quantity of bomb-making materials, and leaflets of the militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

The raid began around 6:30pm targeting the three-story building owned by local resident Abdul Jalil, with the structure remaining under the control of law enforcement until 10:30pm while public movement in the surrounding area was restricted on Tuesday.

CTTC officials stated that the operation was launched based on intelligence indicating that a large quantity of explosives-making materials was stored inside the building, which was locked prior to the entry preparations by CTTC members.

A CTTC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told journalists that the decision to raid was made after receiving information about stored explosive materials. Alongside the CTTC, local police station personnel and National Security Intelligence (NSI) officers participated in the operation.

Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Alam stated earlier that CTTC had detained an individual from the Hemayetpur area with five cocktails and explosives, and the raid in Shyampur was being conducted based on the information provided by that detainee.

In a night briefing, OC Saiful Alam said, "Today, CTTC detained a person from Hemayetpur with 5 cocktails and explosives. This operation is being conducted based on the information provided by him." He mentioned that the building had been rented out at the beginning of the month, and it is initially suspected to be an operation of the JMB. He confirmed the recovery of several JMB leaflets, a few cocktail-like objects, and significant quantities of bomb-making equipment and materials from the building.

Later, around midnight, OC Saiful Alam stated that five specially made powerful pipe bombs were recovered from a bag in the possession of the detained individual, and another nine similar bombs were subsequently recovered from a ground-floor room based on his disclosures. Confirming the total recovery of 14 pipe bombs, the OC added that a vast amount of bomb-making equipment was also seized from that room.

Police noted that operations are ongoing at various locations with the detained individual, and the primary objective of surrounding the building was to ensure the safety of nearby residents.

Due to the operation, restrictions were imposed on the movement of journalists and local residents near the building, with law enforcement blocking public access to the street in front of it.

Local residents reported that CTTC members surrounded the house for about three and a half hours, halting civilian movement on the front road. A senior official of the Savar Model Police Station also mentioned that local police had not been briefed in detail about the reason for the raid beforehand, but were dispatched to assist the CTTC, with further details to be provided by the unit later.

How the building was rented out:
Ilma, the daughter of building owner Abdul Jalil, stated that a man named Abbas Ali and another individual came to rent the apartment, which was let out to them on the 2nd of the month.

"They said they were husband and wife and would admit their children to a nearby school. Thinking they were a family, we rented it out to them. We had no idea they were hiding so many things inside," Ilma said.

According to her, the tenants had introduced themselves as drivers, stating that they drove vehicles.

While police claim that explosives and bomb-making materials were stockpiled after renting the building, the owners maintain they had no knowledge of the tenants' true intentions for keeping those items there.