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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Two senior army officers quizzed

The investigators on Sundayquizzed two senior army officials including former General Officer Commanding(GOC) of Comilla Army Cantonment Major General Quamruzzaman about hisinvolvement in the foiled coup attempt.

Besides, Muhammmad Tareq,Brigadier General, 71 Infantry Division, Savar Cantonment also faced intensivequery of the Court of Inquiry (CoI) for the same reason.

A high powered six-member team ofinvestigators grilled both army officers in the interrogation cell at the DhakaCantonment yesterday evening which continued for several hours, a source closeto the Army Headquarters told The New Nation yesterday withoutelaborating.  

They were questioned followingthe recovery of a laptop of Col (retd) Ehsan Yusuf and cell phone trackingrecord of absconding major Syed Ziaul Hoque, the source added.

Major General Quamruzzaman whowas head of cantonment in the eastern city of Comilla earlier had been recalledto the logistics area in Dhaka Cantonment, soon after the plot of coupunearthed.

Army spokesman Brigadier GeneralMasud Razzaq earlier claimed that the failed coup plot had been fomented byBangladeshi expatriates in touch with "religiously fanatic armyofficers".

Razzaq also said an abscondingmajor (Zia) circulated emails to different serving officers detailing a plan tooverthrow the government on January 9-10.

The outlawed Islamist groupHizbut Tahrir, banned in Bangladesh in 2009 helped to circulate the messages.

The plot involved up to 16Islamist officers, both active and retired, the army spokes also claimed.