Bangladesh is confronting a troubling resurgence of extremist activity, with at least two bomb blasts claiming one life and security forces recovering explosive devices from more than half a dozen locations across Dhaka over the past month, according to a report by Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Waadaa. The discoveries — spanning busy transit hubs including metro stations and public gathering sites — point to what analysts describe as an 'orchestrated' revival of militant networks, not a series of isolated incidents.

Pattern of Explosions and Recoveries

The recovered devices include pressure-cooker bombs, pipe bombs, and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs) found at multiple sites across the capital. Notably, explosives were also recovered near the Hindu minority community's Rath Yatra festival in Dhaka. While government officials have characterised the timing as coincidental, security analysts and the Daily Waadaa report argue the pattern indicates coordinated intent rather than random occurrence.

A precursor to the current wave reportedly occurred months earlier at a madrasa in Keraniganj, where a premature blast wounded several individuals. Subsequent arrests directly linked the site to operatives of Neo Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB), an ideological offshoot aligned with the doctrines of the Afghan Taliban, according to the report.

How the 2024 Political Crisis Enabled the Resurgence

The report traces the roots of the current threat to the severe political volatility that gripped Bangladesh in 2024. As protests and civil unrest intensified, at least 17 prisons were attacked across the country, enabling more than 2,000 prisoners to escape — among them, reportedly, dozens of seasoned militants. The breakdown extended into the judicial system: between late 2024 and mid-2025, nearly 400 individuals accused of serious terrorism-related offences — including members of Neo-JMB, Ansar al-Islam, and pan-Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir — were reportedly granted bail.

'This toxic combination of escaped convicts and bailed extremists has injected experienced leadership back into Bangladesh's underground networks,' the Daily Waadaa report stated. Intelligence agencies, already reeling from political restructuring, have reportedly struggled to maintain effective surveillance on these high-risk individuals, leaving their whereabouts and communication networks unclear.

UNSC Flags AQIS Threat, Links to Delhi Attack

The domestic security concern has drawn international attention. Last week, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) warned that Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been attempting to use Bangladesh as a base to establish terrorist cells. The warning appeared in the 38th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council committee dealing with the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, and associated groups.

Significantly, the UNSC report linked the November 2025 Red Fort attack in Delhi to AQIS, and flagged the group's efforts to leverage Bangladesh as a launchpad for building broader regional terrorist networks. This represents a direct security concern for India, given the proximity and cross-border implications of the threat.

Security Response and What Comes Next

Bangladeshi authorities have responded by placing field police on heightened alert and strengthening intelligence surveillance. However, analysts quoted in the Daily Waadaa report caution that dismissing explosive recoveries as isolated events amounts to 'a dangerous strategy of institutional denial.' The report warned that Bangladesh stands at a precarious juncture, with the structural conditions — escaped militants, bailed extremists, and weakened intelligence capacity — still very much in place.

How quickly Bangladesh's security establishment can rebuild its surveillance architecture and re-establish control over high-risk individuals will be critical in determining whether the current wave escalates further.