Publisher arrested for involvement with ABT, police say

Anti-terrorism Unit of police claimed to have arrested a member of militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team during a raid in Dhaka's Sutrapur area yesterday.

The arrestee, Habibur Rahman Shamim (38), is the publisher and owner of Rehab Publications in Bangla Bazar area.

Hailing from Narayanganj, Habib used to publish books inciting extremism through his publishing house, Mohammad Aslam Khan, superintendent (Media & Awareness) of ATU, told The Daily Star.

The ATU official said Habib was inspired by books written by ABT chief Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, while printing those in his publishing house in 2016, and joined the militant group.

Apart from the books of Rahmani, Habib also printed books of other ABT leaders and their followers, he said, adding the arrestee used to share printed books and video content -- inciting extremism -- with other operatives.