Syria returnee was in touch with global terror net

The Syria returnee Bangladeshi citizen, who was arrested in Dhaka on May 5, had communicated with more than a hundred Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) while staying in Bangladesh, counter terrorism investigators claimed.

The arrestee, Motaj Abdul Majid Kafiluddin Bepari alias Motaj, 33, a Saudi-expatriate, snuck into Bangladesh on February 1.

Based on information, a team of CTTC arrested Motaj in Uttara when he, along with five to six other “Neo JMB” members, had gathered on a road near Baitur Nur Jame Mosque in Road 10 in Sector 11. His associates managed to flee, according to the statement of the case filed with Uttara West Police Station in connection with the arrest.

CTTC officials recovered his passport, four pages of articles and translations published in IS propaganda magazine Rumiyah, his Saudi resident ID card and more than a hundred pages of write-ups.

“In Bangladesh, he established communication with ‘Neo JMB’ members and planned to establish a caliphate here through ousting the government,” said the case statement.

Motaj is now being interrogated on a four-day remand. 

Analysing Motaj’s phone records, CTTC investigators said he had communicated with around a hundred FTFs after entering Bangladesh.

Their conversations were mainly about informing each other that they had reached their home countries or other destinations safely, said a CTTC investigator.

They spoke mostly in Arabic. “We are now trying to translate the conversations into Bangla with the help of professionals,” said the investigator, requesting anonymity. 

The officer further said they would send Motaj’s mobile phone for forensic tests to unearth information sent through different messaging applications.

“Motaj went to Syria from Saudi Arabia. We are investigating to find his connections in that country,” said CTTC Deputy Commissioner Mohibul Islam Khan.

He had earlier stayed in Syria for six months and took part in battles for the Islamic State, claimed officials of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.

Wahiduzzaman Noor Joy, CTTC assistant commissioner, told The Daily Star that they got some information after interrogating Motaj but it was taking time as he only understood Arabic and could hardly communicate in English. He also only understood some basic Bangla words.

Investigators said that he left the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport using a ride-sharing application. Analysing the CCTV footage, the investigators identified the registration number of the vehicle he used and then communicated with the driver to pinpoint Motaj’s drop-off    location.

WHO IS MOTAJ?

According to the case statement, Motaj was born and brought up in Saudi Arabia. His father Abdul Majid Bepari, a Bangladeshi, went to Saudi Arabia when he was 10. Motaj’s mother is Pakistani. He has 16 siblings, including stepbrothers and sisters.

Motaj had made a number of failed attempts before getting into Syria.

He managed to make a Bangladeshi passport in 2014, using which he went to Turkey in 2016 in an attempt to get into Syria. The attempt failed and he had to go back to Saudi Arabia after three months.

He then tried to reach Syria via Egypt in 2017 but again failed and returned to Saudi Arabia. He again chalked out a new route and tried to reach Syria through a waterway the same year but failed due to inclement weather.

Finally, in May last year, he successfully reached Syria, where he stayed for over six months, according to counterterrorism officials.

After the fall of IS in Syria, he fled to Turkey and went into hiding. He worked in a restaurant during his around one and a half month stay there.

Meanwhile, his Saudi residential permit expired but he did not renew it for reasons unknown.

Afterwards, he tried to enter another European country through Greece.  He also paid around 3,000 Euros to a broker for the purpose, the case investigators said.

Following a crackdown by Turkish police at the end of last year, he fled to Bangladesh.

Upon reaching Bangladesh, he soon tried to leave the country and communicated with a number of travel agents for the purpose, investigators said.