DHAKA, Sept 11: The government of Bangladesh on Sunday announced rewards for the arrest of the alleged mastermind of the Aug 17 countrywide bombings and an accomplice. A total of 350 bombs exploded in Bangladesh on Aug 17. A source at the home ministry said the failure of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to arrest the two men — Mohammad Abdul Rahman and Siddiqul Islam — prompted the government to come up with the bounty.

The government had earlier identified a banned outfit - Jamaatul Mujahideen – and its chief, Abdur Rahman, as being responsible for the unprecedented Aug 17 attacks, and ordered Mr Rahman’s arrest ‘at any cost’.

“But the failure to arrest him irked the government and finally it decided to give a bounty to those who arrest him,” said an official, adding that the initiative was taken as the ‘government is very sincerely trying to apprehend the clique behind the bombing’.