'Bomaru Mamun': How a college student from Barishal became Neo-JMB's bomb maker via Facebook 'da'wah'
Back in 2016, his life took a radical turn when he was targeted on Facebook by an account named "Abu Muslimah".
Law enforcement agencies have launched an extensive manhunt for Md Nazmul Hasan Mamun, alias "Bomaru Mamun", following recent bomb blasts and recoveries across the country, as intelligence documents reveal his transformation from a college student into a primary explosives maker for the banned Neo-JMB.
The investigation into the 21-year-old, son of Md Ismail Mir from Rupatali in Barishal, gained fresh momentum after the police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested an associate named Mohammad Arif with 13 pipe bombs from his hideout in Hemayetpur, Savar.
DMP Additional Police Commissioner Mohammad Shamsul Haque, who leads the CTTC unit, stated that the sophistication of the recovered explosives indicated a trained group was behind them, leading investigators directly to Mamun.
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A conversation with 'Abu Muslimah'
According to a high-level intelligence document obtained by The Business Standard, Mamun passed his SSC exams in 2014 and enrolled in a college in Dhaka's Uttara, but failed two subjects in his HSC exams in 2016.
During that time, his life took a radical turn when he was targeted on Facebook by an account named "Abu Muslimah".
The account operator, later identified as Abir alias Muaz, initially shared religious posts and videos before introducing radical ideological lures. In mid-2016, Mamun met Abir in person at a park in Uttara Sector 7, where he was persuaded to abandon formal education and family life in the form of a "da'wah" (invitation) in favour of "radical activities".
Following the meeting, their communications shifted from Facebook to an encrypted messaging application named "Threema", where Mamun was given the organisational code name "Abdullah".
Abir subsequently connected Mamun with another key Neo-JMB figure, "Firewood", alias Musa.
In late October 2016, under Musa's instructions, Mamun left his home and was taken from an Uttara bus counter to a covert hideout in Chattogram under strict surveillance alongside other youths, where they were indoctrinated with radical teachings.
Indoctrinated with radicalism
About a month and a half later, Mamun was shifted to another hideout in Sylhet, where his focus transitioned directly to explosives training.
Over two months in Sylhet, he received hands-on bomb-making instruction from Mahfuz, alias "Sobuj Pakhi", a dismissed navy personnel.
To expand his technical expertise, Mamun was subsequently moved to hideouts in Chapainawabganj and Jhenaidah, where skilled trainers taught him specialised techniques to build time bombs, remote-controlled bombs, and pressure cooker bombs.
Intelligence records note that Mamun eventually began instructing other members, evolving into a core explosives trainer for the organisation.
By early 2017, Mamun was assigned to supply explosives across various hideouts.
He was later arrested and sent to prison on charges of supplying the bomb used in the 2017 suicide attack at Hotel Olio International in Panthapath, which killed one person.
Following a long legal process, he secured bail in September 2024 following the political transition of the July Uprising with the assistance of a vested group, sources said.
He was released from prison before being acquitted of the Hotel Olio attack charges in January.
'Victim' of enforced disappearance?
Upon his release, Mamun filed a written complaint with the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, claiming he had been a victim of enforced disappearance by the state.
However, intelligence documents indicate that after his release, Mamun rejoined Neo-JMB's military wing, all the while presenting himself as a victim to the commission.
He and his network are currently using a secure, encrypted messaging platform named "Element," operating through three secret channels allegedly identified by intelligence agencies: "At-Tamkin Media" for ideological outreach, "Fursan Al Tawhid" for issuing threats and claiming responsibility for attacks, and "Trash Media" for internal communications and operational instructions.
