Four 'militants' held in Dhaka, N'ganj

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday claimed to have arrested four militants in the capital and Narayanganj. 

Of them, three operatives of banned Islamist outfit Ansar Al Islam, which is said to be the Bangladesh chapter of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, were held with a pistol and some extremism provoking books in Jindapark area in Rupganj on Friday night, said LT Col Kamrul Hasan, commanding officer of Rab-11, in a press briefing in Narayanganj yesterday.

The three, Rezaur Rahman Shaon, of Pirojpur; Mobarak Hossain Masud, of Pabna, and Abu Raihan Chowdhury, of Comilla, were leaders and operatives of Dawati unit of the outfit.

Meanwhile, Rab arrested an alleged operative of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Kamal Hossain, 45, in the capital's Kakrail area.

Kamal, who is accused in a case filed under the anti-terrorism act with Bandar Police Station in Narayanganj, used to recruit members from different areas in the capital, Rab said.