Ansar Al Islam forms ‘Shahadat’ for running latest activities

Rapid Action Battalion arrested three members of "Shahadat, a new organisation based on the ideology of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam", in separate drives in Dhaka and Narayanganj yesterday.

The arrestees are Ismail Hossain, 25, recruitment head of "Shahadat" and its regional trainers Jihad Hussain alias Huzaifa, 24, and Aminul Islam, 25.

Quoting the arrestees RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Arafat Islam at a press briefing said the arrestees are actually the members of Ansal Al Islam.

But the leaders formed the new organisation, Shahadat, as the name, Ansar al-Islam, has known to all and sometimes it is difficult to continue activities under the banner, the Rab official said.

The number of members of this organisation is more than 100. Ismail, who was the head of the recruiting wing of Ansar al-Islam, is the head of the "Shahadat" group, Commander Arafat Islam said.

The three were arrested from Dhaka's Gulistan and Narayanganj's Signboard area, the RAB official said at the briefing at Karwan Bazar.

During primary interrogation, Ismail said the organisation is being run by a person named Salahuddin, currently residing abroad, the RAB official said.

Its other members are training in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Jashore and Sathkhira, he added.

Ismail, a madrasa student in Narayanganj, met Salahuddin about a year ago and joined him. Meanwhile, Jihad is a madrasa teacher while Aminul is a garment worker.