JMB trained militants in India, police claim
Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) trained militants in India, Dhaka police claimed today after four members of the banned outfit, including the group’s women wing chief, were held.
Detainee JMB women’s chief Fatema Begum is said to be the wife of Kolkata Burdwan blast prime accused Sajid, Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told The Daily Star today.
She was held along with three of her associates from Dhaka’s Sadarghat along with explosives, bomb-making materials and jihadi books, the official added.
Fatema is said to have been significantly mentioned by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) during their meeting with Dhaka on the issue of militancy.
Later in the day, DMP hosted a press briefing at its media centre where its detective wing joint commissioner, Monirul Islam, revealed detailed information to the media.
Fatema was a training coordinator of JMB and she was with her husband Sajid, the political chief of the militant group, during Burdwan blast, he said.
During primary quizzing, Fatema said to have confessed she trained at least 25 women, including five Bangladeshis, in Shimulia area of Kolkata.
“Three women trained those interested to join JMB, Fatema was their coordinator. They sought members from the poor and middle income group. They convinced the poor people to join JMB by offering them rehabilitation.”
Fatema confessed they were storing explosives aiming to launch attacks in line with the directives of their chiefs elsewhere in Bangladesh and India, Monirul said.
In response to a query, the official said NIA provided significant intel on Fatema.
5 SUSPECTED MILITANTS HELD IN CTG
Five suspected militants including a Pakistani national were held at Khulshi in the port city this afternoon.
They were detained in a crackdown conducted on information that militants were staying in the area in a bid to expand their activities, our Chittagong correspondent reports quoting Ripon Sarkar, a sub-inspector of Khulshi Police Station.
Farther detail into this incident was awaited.
Earlier, on November 11, Rapid Action Battalion detained Md Monayem, said to be a brother of Sajid, from Farajikanda village of Bandar upazila in Narayanganj district.
On October 2, a big explosion went off in a house in Burdwan killing two suspected JMB militants. It also sparked fears of West Bengal having become a major terror hub.
In an investigation into the incident, Indian intelligence agency said they unearthed a JMB network that was reported to have plans to assassinate Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
On November 8, the prime accused in the blast case, Sajid, was arrested.
Following the incident, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Bangladesh’s home ministry officials shared intel on militancy in Dhaka.
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