6 Ansar al-Islam militants arrested
Rab claimed to have arrested six members, including a key leader, of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam from different areas in Dhaka.
Two laptops and copies of Jihadi literature were seized from their possession during a joint drive conducted by Rab-1 and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence on Monday night.
The arrestees are Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury alias Abu Masrur, 50, chief of Dawah wing of the outfit's Dhaka region; Sheikh Ashiqur Rahman alias Abu Afifa, 49; Sadi Md Zulkarnain, 35; Kamrul Hasan Sabbir, 40; Masum Rana alias Masum Billah, 26; and Saieed M Rizvi, 35, said a Rab press release issued today.
In primary interrogation, they said they joined the outfit through fellow members and are now engaged in militant activities in different areas.
According to the release, Mesbah went to a European country in 2004 for higher education and got permanent residency. After joining the outfit through Ashiqur, he used to circulate video clips on social media to encourage Bangladeshi youths to join militancy.
In 2022, he returned to Bangladesh at the behest of the top militant leaders and started recruiting fresh youths for the group, the release said.
Like Mesbah, Ashiqur was also in a European country after completing an MBS degree from a university in Bangladesh. He was one of the advisors for the group's Dhaka region and a key fund provider.
Sadi, a civil engineer, used to work at a garment factory and later joined the militant group through Mesbah, while Kamrul, who completed his BSc in engineering from a public university, joined the group through Ashiqur.
Saieed, a doctor by profession, got radicalised while staying in a Middle Eastern country in 2021. He later joined Ansar al-Islam through Mesbah, while Masum, a master's student, joined the group through Sadi, Rab officials claimed.
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