4 'Ansar Al Islam members' held

Rapid Action Battalion clamied to have detained four members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam in Rajshahi's Puthia upazila on Monday night.

The arrestees include mid-level leader of the outfit Hayatullah Rubel alias Masud, 32, said Rab-5 Director Lt Col Mahbubul Alam at a press briefing yesterday.

Three others are Abdur Rahim, 30, Mizanur Rahman Mridha, 30, and Mukul Hossain, 32.

Around 7:15pm on Monday, a Rab team detained them when the Ansar Al Islam men gathered in a field of Bhoruapara village for holding a secret meeting. The others managed to flee, said the Rab official.

Rab claimed to have seized seven jihadi books from the detainees.

Militants are active in Bhoruapara and its neighbouring Jamira and Mahendra areas, the Rab official said, adding that law enforcers arrested many militants from those villages earlier.