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The banned militant organisation Ansar al-Islam is gathering strength and plotting sabotage. The members of the organisation, scattered in different parts of the country, are working to unite. To achieve this, they have created a new group called As-Shahadat. Activists of the banned organisation have become more active than ever before both offline and online. Law enforcement forces have also increased their surveillance in response to this situation.
The Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have all heightened their vigilance. At least 10 top leaders of the organisation have been arrested recently. Among them, RAB arrested three people from Cox's Bazar on Thursday.
Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) Superintendent of Police Barrister Mahfuzul Alam Russel says, “We think that the force to carry out sabotage is not visible for now, but it is true that they are trying to unite. We have increased our vigilance and are monitoring both online and offline. We have news of secret organisation activities in different parts of the country.”
In response to a question, he said that there are reports that the arrested members of Ansar al-Islam are re-engaging in the activities of the organisation after being released on bail. “We are working on this issue.”
Security analyst air commodore (retd) Ishfaq Elahi Chowdhury said, “Militant organisations are always a threat to the security of our country. They are armed to establish an ideology and act against the prevailing laws of the land. Instead of being complacent with arrests, our law enforcement agencies should strengthen their round-the-clock monitoring.”
According to related sources, law enforcement forces surrounded a house in Netrokona on suspicion of a terrorist hideout. Later, the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) conducted operations there. The militant members fled as they got news of the operation earlier, but two explosives (Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs) used for large-scale sabotage were recovered from that house. The two devices were detonated at the scene and defused by members of the bomb squad. Apart from this, 20 dummy rifles made of plastic, six unused CCTV cameras, electric saws, flashlights, human-shaped punching bags made of silicon, a laptop, a pair of handcuffs, two sophisticated compasses, punching bags, martial arts outfits, machetes, and 80 other pieces of equipment were seized.
Sanwar Hossain, superintendent of police of the Anti-Terrorism Unit, said that the house was originally used as a training camp for militants. “That's why they stock a huge number of dummies for training there. At the same time, they also put high-powered IEDs there.”
He said this is proof that the militants are organising and planning sabotage. “Our investigation in this regard is still ongoing.”
In response to a question, he said militants cause incidents whenever they get an opportunity. “They have orchestrated major incidents like the robbery of militants from the court in Dhaka. Before that, they killed police officers in Trishal of Mymensingh and kidnapped militants. Being in hiding doesn't mean they deviate from their plan. Our vigilance is always present and continues to be there.”
It is known that since the beginning of the year, at least 50 members of banned terrorist organisations have been arrested across the country. RAB, ATU, CTTC, and Dhaka Metropolitan Police raided and arrested them. Since its inception, RAB has brought under the law more than 3,000 militants from various banned militant organisations, including Ansar al-Islam and Huji, and nearly 2,000 militants after the Holey Artisan attack.
Last Thursday night, RAB arrested three militants of Ansar al-Islam from Cox's Bazar. The arrested individuals are Zakaria Mandal, Niamatullah, and Ozair.
Referring to the interrogation of the arrestees, RAB officials said that Ansar al-Islam is also planning to recruit new members and carry out sabotage. For this purpose, a new militant group called As-Shahadat is being created and is conducting recruitment activities, including gathering new members. The group is operated from a neighbouring country and has an estimated membership of 85-100 people. The founders of this group are Habibullah, a citizen of a neighbouring country, and the alleged ameer Salahuddin. They also claim Bangladesh as a branch of this organisation. The ameer in charge of the regional branch of this group was Ismail Hossain, who was previously arrested by RAB.
Other members of this group are residing in different areas of the country, including Dhaka. They joined the organisation through current members after watching speeches of various extremist leaders online. Instead of using the name Ansar al-Islam, they conducted recruitment activities under the name As-Shahadat group. Their primary objective is to establish an Islamic caliphate in Bangladesh. To achieve this goal, they provide organisation members with various extremist pamphlets, torture Muslims, and share videos of extremist leaders' speeches through various WhatsApp groups, Telegram, and Beep groups. Additionally, they hold secret meetings with members at religious establishments, houses, or other locations. It is known that the arrestees communicated through a new secret app to protect their information, and all organisation instructions were given through this app.
Commander Arafat Islam, director of RAB's law and media wing, said recent activities of militant organisations have been observed. “They are attempting to gain media attention both domestically and internationally through their actions. However, due to the activities of law enforcement forces, this has not been possible.” He also said, “Our anti-terrorist unit members are monitoring them closely, and we can control their activities.”
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