Seven ABT, JMB 'militants' held in Lalmonirhat

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained seven people, including five activists of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and two Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) activists, from Patgram and Kaliganj upazilas on Tuesday night.

During the drive, the elite force members seized huge quantity of books on jihad, leaflets, two foreign-made pistols, four bullets, two magazines, two packets of gun powder, two capacitors, ball bearing, national ID cards, four mobile phone sets and cash from their possession, says a press release.

The arrestees are Regional Coordinator of ABT Hasan Ali alias Lal, 38, central Shura member Asmot Ali alias Laltu, 27, and ABT military unit members Shafiul Islam alias Saddam, 24, Abu Nayeem alias Mistar, 19, and Ali Hossain, 25, of Kaliganj upazila, and JMB activists Tamizul Islam, 39, and Sunnah Islam, 21, of Patgram upazila.

Rab officials said they detained the five ABT activists when they were holding a secret meeting at a house in Kaliganj upazila while the two JMB men were arrested from their respective houses.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ahsan Habib, also assistant director of Rab-13 in Rangpur, said two separate teams of Rab, acting on a tip-off, raided different areas in the two upazilas and arrested them with arms, ammunitions, leaflets and some books on jihad.