The sources said Hannan named some leaders of the ruling alliance components with whom he used to maintain connections.

The investigators, however, did not disclose the names as per instructions from the government high-ups, which felt a jolt after Hannan told newsmen that he did not leave the country following assurance of "no fear" from former home minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury.

Altaf, now the commerce minister, however, denied the claim.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) officials, who are now quizzing Hannan, meanwhile, said Hannan gave some significant information, but those will not be disclosed for the sake of investigation.

The Rab is now cross-checking the information gleaned from Hannan, now on a 10-day remand, "to ascertain whether those are true", said a top Rab official, requesting anonymity.

A day after his arrest, Hannan gave more embarrassing statement before a court, saying the law enforcers were not supposed to arrest him as some influential ministers of the government had given assurance to exempt him from the charges of attempting to kill the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

He also said he submitted a mercy petition to the prime minister, home minister and some other ministers soon after the coalition came to power. In reply, they assured him that they will let him off the hook.

Hannan is claiming that he has been abstaining from militant activities for the last few years.

Rab sources said Rab teams are being sent to places, particularly in Gopalganj and Faridpur districts, where Hannan used some madrasas as his strongholds.

KHULNA
Intelligence officials and Khulna Metropolitan Police continued their massive hunt for Moulana Arif, who received delivery of the cartons containing explosive substances and other materials on August 14 from the Khulna office of Continental Courier Service.

Our Khulna correspondent reports that Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadres Mahmud and Masum are also wanted by police in connection with the August 17 serial bomb blasts in Khulna.

Moulana Arif, ameer of Khulna district unit of JMB, Mahmud and Masum were named among the 12 JMB cadres by Shahidullah alias Lokman, now being quizzed by investigators.

Shahidullah, now on a 10-day remand, was arrested in Dhaka on September 8. He was brought to Khulna on Friday night being shown arrested in the bomb blast cases at Khulna Judges' Court and Khulna University campus.

According to police, Moulana Arif played a key role in planning the attacks and selecting the targets as told by Shahidullah during interrogation.

Shahidullah further told police that Arif every now and then monitored the activities of the JMB cadres assigned with making bombs in the house of one schoolteacher Abdul Hakim Gazi.

He said Moulana Arif, Masum and Mahmud have close connection with Bangla Bhai and Abdur Rahman.

"I am completely wedded to jihad for establishing Islamic rule in the country," the 18-year-old JMB cadre told police yesterday.

"Moulana Arif is my leader and he helped me get bail and be released from Jessore Central Jail in 1999," he told police, admitting to his involvement in carrying huge explosives, arms and other materials from Satkhira border.

"Moulana Abdur Rahim Salafi trained me to use arms and bombs," Shahidullah told the interrogators.

Police said Moulana Arif gave Shahidullah Tk 350 and the latter left Khulna on the morning of August 18 for Dhaka.

SATKHIRA
Our Satkhira correspondent adds: Ashraf Ali Master of Tengra village and Abdul Ahad of Baliadanga village, the two JMB activists placed on a three-day remand on October 2 admitted to having links to the August 17 bomb blasts, police sources said yesterday.

The two were held last week in connection with the August 17 incident.

During interrogation, Ahad admitted that he was a close associate of JMB kingpin Shaikh Abdur Rahman and had coordinated the bomb blasts in the region on orders of the JMB chief, interrogation team sources told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, Officer-in-charge (OC) Golam Mohammad of Satkhira Sadar police station on Saturday filed another case for using religion for political purposes against the 11 JMB activists detained on charges of involvement in the August 17 blasts.