Khulna – A key leader of a banned Islamist outfit has been set to be executed on Sunday in Khulna central jail for killing two senior judges, officials said.

The death row convict, Asadul Islam Arif, belongs to Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, blamed for the recent terrorist attacks in Dhaka and Kishoreganj districts that left more than 30 people killed in July.

He was hailed from southern Bangladeshi district of Barguna. He has been kept in Khulna Jail since 2008.

Khulna additional district magistrate Md Noor-e-Alam confirmed that the JMB leader will be hanged at about 10:30pm of the day. Security has been beefed up in and around Khulna Jail ahead of the execution.

Senior Assstant Judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Parey of Jhalakathi were killed after the attackers hurled bombs on their cars on November, 14, 2005.

Attacker Iftekhar Hossain Mamun, district judge court’s Class IV employee Abdul Mannan and milk-man Badsha Mia were also wounded during the attack.

Jhalakathi’s additional district and sessions judge Tarique Ahmed handed down the capital punishment to seven JMB leaders including Arif on May 29, 2006.

Earlier, six convicts out of the seven except Asadul were executed on 29 March 2007 as Asadul remained absconding since the court order.

The convict Arif was arrested on July 10, 2007 from central Mymensingh district. He filed an appeal to the court following his arrest.

On August 28 this year, a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected Arif’s review and served an order to hang the convict immediately.

Arif’s execution will be witnessed as first incident in last 12 years inside Khulna Jail.

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