New Militant Outfit: CTTC to probe Jamaat link

We will interrogate him in remand to know whether he had any instructions from his father's organisation (Jamaat) to join this new militant outfit.

— Asaduzzaman, CTTC chief

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police  will investigate whether Jamaat has any connection with the new militant outfit "Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya".

Md Asaduzzaman, chief of the CTTC unit, made the disclosure yesterday.

Rafat Chowdhury, the Sylhet regional coordinator of the new outfit, is the son of Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman.

"We will interrogate Rafat in remand to know whether he had any instructions from his father's organisation (Jamaat) to join this new militant outfit," said Asaduzzaman, while addressing a briefing at DMP's media centre.

Earlier on Wednesday, a CTTC team arrested Rafat and one of his associates Arif Fahim Siddique from Sylhet. The duo were placed in front of a Dhaka court yesterday, which granted a three-day police remand for interrogation.

CTTC says along with the new outfit, Rafat was also the coordinator of the Al-Qaeda-inspired banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam. CTTC arrested Rafat after three Ansar Al Islam members -- arrested from the capital's Jatrabari area on November 1 -- revealed his name in confessional statements before a Dhaka court on November 6.

The arrestees -- Sezadul Islam Sahab (24), Jahid Hassan Bhuyan (21) and Syed Riaz Ahmed (22) -- left home and went on hijrat as per Rafat's instruction, said investigators.

CTTC officials said Rafat went on hijrat to Bandarban with 11 youths from Sylhet in July 2021. However, they returned after staying seven days as they failed to gather support for their cause.

Asaduzzaman, also an additional DMP commissioner, said some of the youths have taken training on making bombs. "We have already identified the trainer and are currently trying to arrest him," he said.

Asked about any Jamaat or Shibir connections with Rafat, the CTTC chief said Rafat was involved with Shibir but it is yet to be known what his designation was.