Friday, February 4 2005 17:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dhaka: Three people were arrested and 18 picked up for questioning for suspected links to last month's grenade attack on a rally of Opposition Awami League that killed five people, including a former Finance Minister, a media report said today (Feb 04, 2005).

The police have declined to reveal the political identity of those arrested, the 'Daily Star' said.

Of the arrested, Shah Alam and Jainal Abedin Jalal were taken on a eight-day remand by police for further questioning, while the other was sent to jail, it said.

The paper did not elaborate on the 18 detained.

"We have arrested these three ... for suspicious movement and not in connection with the two cases linked to the grenade attack," Deputy Inspector General of police in North-eastern Sylhet district, A K M Mahfuzul Haq, was quoted as saying.

"We have got lot of information about those involved in the incident. We are now verifying the information," he said.

The January 27 grenade attack that killed former Finance Minister S A Kibria, also an MP of the main Opposition Awami League, and four others has sparked a series of nationwide general strikes.