Five JMB men jailed for 10 years in Rangamati

A Rangamati court yesterday sentenced five members of the banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to 10 years' imprisonment each for their involvement in serial bomb blasts in 2005.

The convicts are Obaidur Rahman alias Khayer, Mohammad Ariful Islam, Mohammad Aiyub Ali, Abdul Hafiz and Jabed Iqbal.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Additional District and Sessions Judge Azizul Haque handed down the verdict in a packed courtroom in the morning as he found the five guilty.

The court also acquitted a sixth defendant -- Mohammad Ruhul Amin ---as charges against him could not be proved.

According to the prosecution, several bombs went off in front of Rangamati Press Club, Reserve Bazar Choumuhani and Banarupa area in the district on August 17 in 2005 as part of JMB's violent campaign in 63 districts across the country demanding introduction of sharia laws.