Back to planning sabotage a day after release

Just a day after securing bail in five cases filed under the anti-terrorism act and coming out of jail, Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of banned outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, started planning for sabotage activities in full swing.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit revealed this based on findings after interrogating ABT member Niamul Islam Towfiq, 26, who was arrested in Uttara on January 22 evening in a case filed with Uttara Pashchim Police Station.

ABT is an Al-Qaeda-inspired militant outfit now known as Ansar al Islam, which was banned on March 1, 2017 for attacks on war crimes trial campaigners, secularists, and LGBT rights activists.

Interrogated, Towfiq admitted that he was inspired to become a militant and join Ansar Al Islam after listening to speeches of Rahmani and watching online content.

A day later, on January 23, the CTTC team arrested Rahmani in the case.

Rahmani earlier came out of Kashimpur High-Security Jail on January 21 after securing bails in five cases.

Towfiq gave a confessional statement in the case before a Dhaka court yesterday, according to court sources.

"We got some information regarding Ansar Al Islam recently. Rahmani is now in jail again. We would interrogate him about his plans and activities after seeking remand from the court," said CTTC unit chief Md Asaduzzaman

According to the case's first information report, the Ansar Al Islam members used to communicate with each other through online platforms.

In the forwarding letter sent to the court on January 24, CTTC said Rahmani in primary interrogation admitted relations with arrested Towfiq.

"We suspect that Ansar Al Islam arranged funding for Rahmani's legal battle to secure his bail in the cases. We are trying to trace the persons behind the outfit's legal battle," said a high official of CTTC unit, wishing anonymity.

Advocate Nazrul Islam, who was appointed as lawyer for Rahmani, refused to disclose details or identity of the person who appointed him.

Sources in the court shared the contact of a person who communicated for Rahmani's bail.

When contacted, the person identified himself as one Sohel, working as driver of a wood-laden truck.

Asked, Sohel said he neither knew Rahmani nor had any idea about appointing a lawyer.

CTTC officials said after his arrest from Barguna on August 12, 2013 along with 30 other ABT members, Rahmani had no significant communication with his family while in jail for the last 11 years.

He had been in jail since then till January 21 this year in six cases filed against him. The police pressed charges against him in all the cases.

On December 31, 2015, a Dhaka court sentenced him to five years in jail in a case filed over the murder of blogger Rajib Haider for which Rahmani had served the time.

The five other cases are under trial.