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Bangladesh Police issued a nationwide security alert over possible militant attacks on key installations, including the parliament complex, officials and media reports said on Saturday.

"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 had witnessed an upsurge of extremist forces in the past 18 months during the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime, following the ouster of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024 after a violent student-led street protest dubbed the 'July Uprising'.

Officials earlier said hundreds of inmates, including death row convicts and Islamists, still remained fugitive since a series of jail breaks during the July Uprising.

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.