It started with Rahmani's sermons

Abdus Sabur took his first step on the road to militancy as he started listening to the sermons of detained spiritual leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) Mufti Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani on his mobile phone three years ago.

By last year, Sabur himself became such a key person in militant circle that his fellows sought his blessings before going to kill blogger-writer Avijit Roy on Dhaka University campus on February 26. 

In his confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), given before a magistrate yesterday, Sabur confessed training the militants who hacked to death Faisal Arefin Dipan of Jagriti Prokashani and critically injured Shuddhoswar's Ahmedur Rashid Tutul and two others on October 31 last year.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mazharul Islam recorded the statement after he was produced before the court yesterday. The court ordered sending him to jail.

Sabur alias Samad alias Sujon alias Raju alias Saad, 23, was on six-day remand following his arrest by detectives in Tongi area on September 3.

In his deposition, Sabur said that while studying in Faridabad Madrasa in the capital's Gendaria in late 2013, he became acquainted with one Ishtiak.

It was Ishtiak who gave him Rahmani's sermons. Later, Sabur took part in a three-hour discussion on “jihad” at a house in Mirpur, court sources said.

“They [militants] opened an ID on Protectedtext.com and gave me the ID name and password. I used to chat with others from the ID,” he said in his statement.

Sabur along with Sabbir and Masfi stayed for three months in the city's Rasulpur area. There, Selim, one of the six Ansarullah Bangla Team men with bounties declared on their heads on May 19, gave them training on using pistol and machete.

“Before Esha prayer one day, Selim said he has to go now as a work has to be done … Two to three hours later, he said the work has been done. Later I came to know that Avijit was murdered,” he said in his deposition.

Regarding the attacks on the publishers, Sabur said Sharif, who topped the bounty list, used to train militants at a flat on the third floor of a building near Tongi College Gate. Sharif was killed in police “shootout” on June 19

At one stage, Sabur also started to train the militants.

After a month-long training there, they got divided into two groups. One group comprising Sifat, Akash and Taiyab killed Dipan in Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh.

Another group that included Shariful, Shihab, Sabbir, Tahsin, Babar and Yeahiya went to kill Tutul. Sharif returned to Tongi residence after the “failed” operation.

Detectives on June 15 this year arrested Sumon Hossain Patwari alias Shihab alias Sakib alias Saiful, 20, and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Sifat on August 23.

Mashruqure Rahman Khaled, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch (South Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, “As Sabur gave important information about Avijit murder, we will appeal to the court for his fresh remand in the case.”