Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others

A Dhaka court yesterday accepted charges against banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) chief Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani and nine others in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court took cognisance of the charges and fixed November 27 for hearing charge framing against the accused.

Earlier on July 26 this year, the home ministry sent an approval letter to the court regarding this.

The nine others are: Kazi Mohammad Rezwan, 30, Naimul Hasan, 28, Ali Azad, 28, Jahidul Islam, 27, Junnun Shikder, 27, Amirul Islam, 25, Abu Hanif, 23, Saiful Islam, 21, and Al Asadullah alias Abdullah alias Md Piyas, 19.

Rahmani, Abu Hanif and Piyas are in jail while Azad is on bail and the rest are absconding.

The case was filed with Mohammadpur Police Station in 2013, after they were arrested from Katashur area, for planning to gain control of a part of the country and conduct armed jihad (struggle).

Rahmani, the organisation's spiritual leader, was arrested from Barguna the same year and was shown arrested in a case filed over the killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in February 2013.

On December 31 last year, Rahmani, 45, was found guilty of provoking Rajib's murder through his sermons and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Detectives pressed charges against Rahmani and nine others in 2014.