5 to face gallows for attacks on Bangladesh's naval base

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A local court in Bangladesh on Wednesday sentenced five members of a banned militant outfit to death for carrying out grenade attacks inside a naval base in the port city of Chattogram in 2015.

The Chittagong Anti-Terrorism Tribunal awarded five members of the proscribed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) death sentence and fined taka 50,000 (approximately $530) each.

Four convicts in the case were present during the court proceeding while another convict, also a former naval officer M Sakhawat Hossain, remained absconding, Public Prosecutor Manoranjan Das told reporters following the verdict.

However, defense counsel Jalal Uddin later told the media that they were displeased with the court ruling and would appeal to the country's highest court.

On Dec. 18, 2015, the JMB members carried out grenade strikes in two mosques inside the BNS Issa Khan naval base in Chattogram during weekly congregational Friday prayer at noon. At least 24 defense personnel and civilians were injured in the attacks.

Two JMB members were apprehended inside the base as they prepared one of them to carry out a suicide attack. Later, law enforcement seized a live grenade and a suicide vest during a search.

A naval official filed a case with the police nine months after the incident in 2016, according to the charge sheet and case information.​​​​​​​