Vulnerable youths are targets
While looking for new recruits, militants identify youths with vulnerabilities and make them their targets, according to Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Monirul Islam.
They observe him for some time and try to see if he is frustrated or sad or have some weak points, he said at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre yesterday.
“After identifying the weak points, they use those to exploit him,” Monirul said.
“I talked to some boys who came back from militancy. One of them has been a drug addict. Militants make them understand that drug addiction is not good and bring them back from addiction and take them for brainwashing.”
Terming the recruiters “good psychologists”, the DMP official said they do not approach a boy and ask him to join jihad at the outset. Rather, they observe him, collect his information and then approach him.
He added that the “motivators” also target youths from impoverished families and give them financial assistance.
“They have a huge supply of cash ... The poor boy is not only motivated by the promise of heaven after death but also given financial incentives,” said the top police official.
Talking about seven of the nine militants identified on Wednesday, he said two were students of North South University, while another one graduated from there; three were madrasa students and another one was barely educated.
He informed that all the militants left their homes in the last four months to two years.
“We contacted many of their families who admitted that they [militants] did not keep in touch with them. Some had very little contact but none of their families had any specific phone number or address,” Monirul said.
The process of silent radicalisation and brainwashing begins well before they leave home, Monirul explained. “They leave home at the final stage.”
He also talked about some writings by militants seized by police, and some information gleaned from arrested militants.
“The writings say 'when you are caught by law enforcers, imagine that you are a dead body. You are not in your senses. Even if they apply third degree method on you, imagine that you have no senses,” Monirul said.
Distorted ideologies and interpretations of religion and verses of the holy Quran and Hadith taken out of context are used in brainwashing the boys to such a point that they lose all rationality.
“(If) a murtad or kafir is standing in front of you, kill him. You will go to heaven if you kill him,” Monirul quoted the writings.
When the new recruits are at the primary stage of being brainwashed, they do not live together. They meet each other when they have reached the final stage. By that time they forget everything of whatever background they are from, the DMP official said.
“After a prolonged training and brainwashing, the differences between those from madrasa and those from North South disappear. They are only driven by blood thirst.”
Monirul added that the statement of a case filed in connection with the Kalyanpur incident mentioned some names of persons who provided militants with finance, arms, and shelter.
“Police also found some documents, but the militants destroyed two of their laptops, burnt the cash and some documents,” he said.
“But we got hold of some documents from which we identified some militants. We are trying to catch them and bring them to book.”
Monirul opined that until the masterminds and trainers are brought to book, they would keep recruiting new boys.
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