Verdict deferred in 2001 Bangladesh bombings case

A Bangladesh court today deferred till June 23 the much-awaited verdict against a group of militants who carried out deadly bomb attacks during Bengali New Year celebrations in 2001, killing 10 people.
"The date for the verdict was set for today...It is being rescheduled for June 23 as the judgement could not be prepared yet," Additional Metropolitan Judge Ruhul Amin said.
The nine accused, including the chief of Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami's (Huji) Mufty Abdul Hannan, were brought to the court under heavy security for the verdict.
They were sent back to the high-security Dhaka Central Jail after the judge ordered them be produced on the rescheduled date.

Five other accused who carried out the bomb attacks on the Bengali New Year 'Pahela Baishakh' at Dhaka's Ramna Batmul on April 14, 2001 are still on the run.
Hundreds of thousands of people, including Muslims, traditionally gather and sing under a Banyan tree in the capital's historic Ramna Park and the nearby grounds of Dhaka University to celebrate the New Year.

The all 14 accused were indicted in the case in April 2009 by the court which tried the five absconding suspects in absentia.
Huji, designated as a terrorist organisation and specially designated global terrorist group by the US, targeted the celebrations as they believed it to be anti-Islamic.

The militant group also attempted to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she was opposition leader in 2004. The banned outfit is also believed to have carried out several other blasts including an attack on a Communist Party rally in 2005 claiming five lives.
HuJI announced its emergence on April 30, 1992 through a news conference at the National Press Club.
They had demanded that Bangladesh be turned into an Islamic state.