Huji-B getting military training from LeT

Members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad Al-Islami Bangladesh (Huji-B) are receiving special military training from Pakistani militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the police have learned.

“At least seven members of Huji-B have returned to Bangladesh after getting military training from Lashkar-e-Taiba over the last two years. They also had plans to send other members to undergo training and join the so-called jihad,” said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of police.

He added that the information was extracted during the interrogation of four arrested Huji-B men – who were under remand for six days following their arrests on October 25.

“Getting information from these arrestees, a DB police team conducted a drive in the capital’s Postagola area early today [Sunday] and arrested three more Huji-B members,” said DB chief Monirul, while addressing a briefing at the DMP Media and Community Centre.

The arrestees were Md Abdullah, Md Ridwan and Shafiqul Islam alias Ripon. Among them, Abdullah and Ridwan are garment factory workers while Ripon did different kind of jobs to make a living as well as assisting at a Huji-B bomb making lab in Narayanganj.

All of them hailed from Fatullah in Narayanganj and were followers of Huji-B operation wing chief Mawlana Mohammad Rafiq Ahmed. The arrestees were reportedly trying to travel to Pakistan for receiving training from the LeT.

“Huji-B operation wing chief Rafiq was working in this regard. Abdullah’s passport had been given to him to be submitted for visa processing, while Ridwan’s passport had already been processed as he reportedly got visa through another source,” said DB chief Monirul.

“We have learned that around seven [Huji-B] members took two-month long training from Lashkar-e-Taiba and visited Afghanistan before coming back to Bangladesh for carrying out the outfit’s activities while in hiding.”

About the recently discovered Narayanganj-centric militancy dens, Monirul said the militants chose crowded locations that consisted of floating masses. Although Tongi was previously a favourite choice for militant hideouts, the banned outfits shifted their safe houses to Narayanganj following massive manhunts in Tongi, he added.

Asked if other militant outfits were receiving training abroad, the DB joint commissioner said the Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh preferred to train within the country, learning from their own top command who had earlier joined jihad in Afghanistan.

JMB leaders were also uploading training methods and instruction to several websites, allowing members to download the content easily while staying out of sight from the law enforcement, Monirul said.

He, however, added that the police had information that some members of militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team have received logistics training in Yemen.

Remand

The three Huji-B members – who were arrested from Postogola – have been placed on a two-day remand by Metropolitan Magistrate Mollah Saiful Islam, after DB Sub-Inspector SM Raisul Islam produced them before the court seeking a 10-day remand.

The same court also placed four Huji-B members – who had been arrested during previous drives – on a one-day fresh remand. Another Dhaka court of Metropolitan Magistrate SM Ashiquer Rahman also placed these four men on an another one-day remand in two separate cases filed with the Uttara (west) police station. The court passed the order after DB SI Abdul Kader produced the arrestees before the court with a 20-day remand prayer.

These four Huji-B members are: the outfit’s operation wing chief Mawlana Mohammad Rafiq Ahmed alias Sajid, bomb expert Umar alias Foyzul alias Roby, Md Nadim Ahmed alias Sumon, and Md Salahuddin Ahmed.