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Bangladesh has raised a nationwide security alert after receiving intelligence suggesting potential militant attacks on key locations, including the parliament complex, religious sites, and security establishments.

Authorities have asked police and specialised units across the country to remain on heightened vigilance amid fears of coordinated strikes, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"The alert has been issued based on intelligence reports,” a police headquarters (PHQ) official said, requesting anonymity.

The official described the alert as “urgent and confidential”.

A PHQ letter warned of possible coordinated attacks targeting the parliament complex, places of worship, entertainment facilities, and military and police installations, with armouries seen as potential targets, Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported.

The Daily Star and other newspapers said the alert was issued after the recent arrest of a banned militant outfit operative, Istiak Ahmed Sami alias Abu Bakkar, who was allegedly in contact with two dismissed military personnel.

According to reports, the letter also included profiles of two alleged key planners behind the potential attacks, but did not name any organisation.

It described the suspected perpetrators as “extremely dangerous for the overall security of the country”.

Quoting law enforcement officials, news portal tbsnews.net said the militant group could adopt multiple methods to carry out attacks.

The PHQ directed specialised police units, including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Branch (SB), and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit, to heighten vigilance, while regular police across the country have been asked to remain on high alert.

A police chief in a western district confirmed receipt of the letter, saying security measures had been stepped up in stations under his jurisdiction.

Bangladesh has witnessed a rise in extremist activity over the past 18 months during the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime, following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024 after the violent student-led protests known as the 'July Uprising'.

Officials had earlier said hundreds of inmates, including death row convicts and Islamists, remained absconding after a series of jailbreaks during the unrest.

Some jailed leaders of banned outfits, including Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Jasimuddin Rahmani, were released on bail during the interim period.

Prisons chief Brigadier General Syed Motaher Hossain had said that around 2,700 inmates escaped during the violence, of whom about 700 were still on the run.

He said several militants were among the fugitives, while firearms were also looted from prison guards.

In one of the major incidents, attackers stormed a prison in Narsingdi in July 2024, freeing over 800 inmates and setting parts of the facility on fire. Another jailbreak at Kashimpur High Security Jail in Gazipur saw over 200 prisoners escape after guards were taken hostage.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli