Police arrest four militant suspects
In separate anti-militancy drives early yesterday, police in Rajshahi arrested four militants including two Hizb ut- Tahrir men, who were involved in clashes with the law enforcers in the capital.
Law enforcers arrested Ariful Islam Sodoy, 28, at Notunpara and Mansur Rahman, 27, at Sahapara in Nowhata municipality around 2:00am, said Porimol Kumar Chakrawarty, officer-in-charge (OC) of Poba police.
In another drive in Bagmara upazila, the police arrested Abdur Razzak, 38, a member of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), at his house in Guniapara village of Jhikra union.
Razzak was accused in a bomb explosion case filed with Bagmara police on June 13 last year.
In another drive, the police arrested alleged JMB militant Abdul Awal, 40, who was wanted in connection with an anti-terrorism case, at Bagha upazila in Rajshahi.
In Poba, the duo were caught during a block raid in the area, said the OC, adding, the police were looking for them for long.
They were accused in three cases. Two cases were filed with Paltan police in Dhaka for a clash with police at Segunbagicha on December 27, 2013. Another case was filed with Poba police for a bomb explosion near a mosque in Borgachhi area on September 23 last year.
The police have recently found them engaged in militant activities, he added.
Moazzem Hossain Bhuiyan, superintended of police in Rajshahi, said they started the drive on Thursday and would continue it until further instruction.
In another drive in Chittagong, the police arrested 17 people at a meeting of banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in the city's Double Mooring area.
The law enforcers suspect they were holding the meeting to conduct subversive activities.
“We conducted a raid on a salon in Jhornapara area after midnight, detained the 17 people at a meeting and recovered many jihadi books,” said Assistant Commissioner (Double mooring zone) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) ABM Faizul Islam.
Of the 17, five belong to Jamaat-Shibir, two to Hizbut Tahrir and the rest to Ahle Hadith.
The arrestees are Rasel, 25, Ripon, 26, Farzan, 23, Mehedi Hasan, 24, Shahnewaz, 22, Minhaz Uddin Riad, 26, Akhter Hossain, 35, Maruf, 38, advocate Md Ibrahim, 35, KM Mannan alias Shakil, 43, Alauddin, 30, Shamim, 31, Saiful, 23, Masum, 21, Minhazul Arefin, 24, Khorshed, 31 and Alamin Shuvo, 22.
Of the detainees, Farzat and Ibrahim are two activists of Hizbut Tahrir, said the police.
Ibrahim was previously accused in an explosive substance case in Halishahar, said Sahabuddin, assistant commissioner (prosecution). Police filed a case under Anti-Terrorism Act, 2013 against them.
The detainees were produced before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmul Hossain in the afternoon. The court rejected their bail prayer and sent them to jail.
In Thakurgaon, three Jamaat activists and a local Shibir leader were held in Dholarhaat Dharmapur village in Sadar upazila for planning subversive activities.
The Jamaat activists -- Yunus Ali, 49, Tofakul Islam, 48, and Shah Alam, 24, -- were instigating people using Islam against the government at a waz mahfil. Shibir leader Alal Uddin, 25, is the acting secretary of Ruhea thana unit.
The Counter Terrorism Unit in Lalmonirhat arrested another JMB activist at Tangbhanga village of Hatibandha upazila on Saturday night.
He was identified as Mehedy Hasan Mizan, 22, son of Dulal Hossain of Pashchim Belgram village in Tangbhanga union.
OC Rezaul Karim of Hatibandha police confirmed it and said a case was filed under the Special Tribunal Act against him on August 2 last year.