The international link of the Islamist militants group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) blamed for series of bomb blasts and suicide attacks was disclosed by top JMB leader, sources in intelligence services said Monday.

Wishing not to be identified, the sources said JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, who was arrested just a month ago, named nine persons of India, Pakistan and several Middle Eastern countries to the task force members of Joint Intelligence Services (JIC), a combine of all intelligence services of Bangladesh.

These persons gave Rahman all support including financial backing for establishing Islamic rule in this second largest Muslim Bangladesh of 140 million, the sources said.

JIC has been interrogating Rahman for a month after his arrest on Feb. 2 from Bangladesh's northeastern Sylhet town after a 33- hour raid by the security forces.

After a month-long interrogation Rahman admitted that nine people advised him to work for establishing Islamic Shariah law in Bangladesh.

Rahman also gave the country identity of these nine persons, but the intelligence men declined to elaborate.

Rahman, the chief of the extremist group banned by Bangladesh, did not mention how much money they gave to him.

However, the Afghan war veteran Rahman maintained silence about the local backings. The members of the intelligence failed to convince him about disclosing these information to magistrate court. The spiritual leader of JMB declined to give any statement before the court, the sources said.

JMB blasted about 500 bombs across the country on Aug. 17 last year and made suicide attacks on court and judges that left 28 people killed, including judges, lawyers and police.

Source: Xinhua