Bangladesh: Police recover weapons cache near Dhaka

Event

On Friday, June 2, officials announced that police had recovered an arms and ammunition cache in an overnight raid in the city of Rupganj outside of Dhaka. The cache, which was submerged in a canal, included 62 machine guns, two rocket launchers, grenades, and 40 magazines. Three people suspected to have connections to the cache have been arrested, but it is not clear if the weapons are linked to any Islamist militant groups.

Context

Security forces have continued to carry out missions targeting suspected terrorists in recent months. Five militants were killed after they detonated explosive devices during a police raid on their hideout located about 200 km (120 mi) from Dhaka on Thursday, May 11. The suspects reportedly belonged to the Islamic State (IS) affiliated group Jamaat-ul-Mujahadeen Bangladesh (JMB).

The number of terrorist attacks has been gradually increasing in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh, a country of 160 million people. Over the past few years, several prominent liberal writers and members of religious minorities have been killed. Some terrorist groups, including JMB, have pledged allegiance to IS. JMB has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Bangladesh, including the attack on a café on July 1, 2016, in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter, in which 22 people were killed. Police have killed more than 40 suspected terrorists in raids since the café attack.

Advice

Due to the high risk of terrorism in Bangladesh, always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Remain vigilant and report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.​