2 arrestees Tahrir men

Two among five North South University students arrested over the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haidar admitted to being directly involved with banned Islamist outfit Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh, said Detective Branch (DB) sources yesterday.
They are Maksudul Hassan Anik and Ehsan Reza Rumman. Meanwhile, Naim Sikder Irad, Nafis Imtiaz and Faisal bin Nayeem alias Dwip were motivated to take part in the killing by a leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, said the sources.
Nazrul Islam Mollah, deputy commissioner (DC) of DB (North), said the arrestees disclosed their plans to kill seven more bloggers, including two females, who are prominently active in the Shahbagh movement demanding capital punishment for war criminals.
Blogger Rajib was hacked to death on February 15 near his Palashnagar residence in the capital's Pallabi. Detectives showed the five arrested on Saturday.
Yesterday, on the first day of a seven-day remand, the arrestees claimed that Shibir activists were encouraging Hizb-ut-Tahrir youths in the capital's private universities to work against the government, said the sources.
The Shibir leader, who orchestrated the killing, had urged the five to work under the Shibir banner since Hizb-ut-Tahrir was banned. The five agreed to kill blogger Rajib when the Shibir leader provided them with Rajib's blogposts, added the sources.
Another DB source said the Shibir leader had enrolled on and off at NSU and, in the pretext of studying, tried to motivate youths against the government.
As part of his technique, he often influenced youths to join Shibir and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
DB DC Nazrul said the arrestees' parents had come to the DB office claiming their innocence but left on seeing evidences and documents regarding the arrestees' activities.