"Soon after the coalition had assumed power, I submitted a mercy petition to the prime minister, home minister and some other ministers and in reply they assured me that they will let me off," Hannan told the court in presence of a large number of lawyers, law enforcers, and newsmen.

He said the cases filed against him including the one for an attempt to assassinate Hasina are politically motivated. They had been filed with Kotalipara Police Station.

Hannan, arrested on Saturday in the capital's Maddhya Badda, also told the court that he is a supporter of the four-party alliance.

Clad in a lungi and a bullet-proof vest, Hannan was placed before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka at about 5:30pm amid tight security. Tejgaon police successfully petitioned the court for him to be taken on a 10-day remand.

He said, "When the Rab men arrested me I was told that I have been held in Kotalipara cases, but I was shown arrested in one of the August 17 blasts cases."

He said except his and his brother's, names of all other accused were dropped from the Kotalipara case.

Under interrogation by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Hannan yesterday confessed to planting 76-kg bomb at Kotalipara on July 20, 2000, but he did not elaborate on how he got involved in the plot, sources said.

Interrogators had tried to know about how and where the bomb was manufactured, which types of explosives and materials were used, and from where they were collected. But Hannan kept mum about those questions.

"He has been quizzed also about other blast incidents in the country, but nothing could be elicited," an investigator seeking anonymity said.

In the forwarding report placed before the court yesterday, police did not mention that Hannan has already been sentenced to life imprisonment in an arms case. According to the law, if a person is given any punishment in absentia, it must be brought up in the forwarding report.

A Dhaka court sentenced Hannan to life in prison on December 30, 2003 in an arms case in absentia. In the verdict, the court said that the punishment of the convict would take effect from the day of his arrest or surrender.

But the detained militant's punishment did not begin to apply from Saturday, as there was no custody warrant in the arms case issued against him.

Hannan told Metropolitan Magistrate Kamrunnahar that he went to Pakistan for study in 1979 and later he visited some other countries also for study. He said he returned home in 1981. He went to Afghanistan in 1984 for military training.

On his return, he had set up 'Al Hamdullah Hafezia Madrasa' at Kotalipara.

He claimed that he had not been involved in planting the bomb in Kotalipara nor had he taken part in staging the August 17 blasts.

A student of Sarsina Madrasa in Barisal, Hannan studied in Deoband madrasa in India. After graduating from a madrasa in Karachi, he had joined the Afghan war against the former Soviet occupation. He was even wounded in a battle there. Returning home at 1995, he started organising the Harkatul Jihad.

KHULNA
Our staff correspondent from Khulna reports: Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadre Shahidullah alias Lokman told Khulna police on Saturday that he along with five others had made bombs in the house of Saint Joseph school's teacher Abdul Hakim Gazi.

He also said the bombs were used in the blasts at 13 spots across Khulna city on August 17.

"I detonated bombs on the compound of Khulna Judges' Court and left Khulna for Dhaka the following morning," Sub-Inspector (SI) Shafiqul Islam of Khulna Police Station quoted Shahidullah as saying.

SI Shafiqul said Shahidullah will be taken on remand tomorrow for further interrogation.

RAJSHAHI
Suspected militant Akhtarul Alam was taken on a three-day remand yesterday, reports our staff correspondent from Rajshahi.

A metropolitan magistrate granted the remand after SI Alamgir Hossain of Rajpara produced him before the court.

Boalia police arrested Akhtarul on September 17 following statements of Shahidullah Faruk and Abul Kashem Tufan, arrested a day before in Tanore.

Akhtarul is suspected to have been channelling funds to Bangla Bhai's Jagrata Muslim Janata, Bangladesh and JMB.

BOGRA
JMB bomb squad member Abdur Razzak, arrested on September 22 in Gabtoli, gave statement before a first class magistrate yesterday, confessing his involvement in the blasts in Bogra on August 17.

In the statement, he said he took part in the bombings at the instigation of Rajshahi JMB commander Abdul Hamid.

Razzak was taken on a 10-day remand after his arrest.

SATKHIRA
Two JMB operatives arrested last week in Satkhira for suspected links to the countrywide blasts were placed on a three-day remand each yesterday, reports our Satkhira correspondent.

The arrested JMB activists Ashraf Ali Master of Tengra and Abdul Ahad of Baliadanga village in sadar upazila were shown arrested in a case filed with Sadar Police Station for the explosions.

Police produced them before the court of Magistrate Saidur Rahman with a 10-day remand petition for each.