5 Ansar al-Islam members including top leader arrested
They were arrested during a special operation conducted by a team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit in the capital’s Kajla area under the Jatrabari police station
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested five members of the banned militant organisation Ansar al-Islam, including its Nayeb-e-Amir, on Saturday (7 October).
The arrestees have been identified as Ihsanul Rahman, also known as Murad/Saif (26); Md Shakhawatul Kabir, alias Anis/Rafiq, 45; Bakhtiar Rahman, alias Nazmul, 30; Yusuf Ali Sarkar, 31; and Zahedul Islam, alias Ashraf, 35.
They were arrested during a special operation conducted by a team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit in the capital's Kajla area under the Jatrabari police station, DMP said in a statement.
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At the time, police seized two locally-made pistols and 15 rounds of ammunition from their possession.
In response to intelligence from the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), a targeted operation was launched to disrupt clandestine meetings conducted by Ansar al-Islam.
The CTTC's special action group, acting on information about a gathering in the Kajla area under the Jatrabari police station, carried out the operation on Saturday evening.
During preliminary interrogation, the arrestees confessed to being affiliated with the banned militant organization "Islam al-Ansar."
They disclosed their participation in gatherings across Dhaka with the intention of causing unrest, as revealed by the DMP.
The suspects further admitted to utilising mobile apps for their organisational activities, maintaining secrecy in response to recent actions by law enforcement agencies.
Subsequently, a case has been filed with the Jatrabari police station against the detained individuals.
