The government is investigating the source of an audio clip reportedly released by international terrorist group al-Qaeda, and to identify those involved in producing and releasing the message.
“We are trying to identify the source of al-Qaeda audio message. We can tell you everything after the investigation is completed,” State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters at the ministry yesterday.
In reply to a query, he said: “We do not consider it as a threat for us.”
The Arabic audio clip, with English subtitles, available on a website “Jihadology,” created hype in the country on Saturday, as it claims that the voice behind the message is that of al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is heard urging Bangladeshi Muslims to fight against secularists and atheists.
The government early yesterday blocked the website, “jihadology.net,” said officials at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
The government was not aware of the clip posted in “Jihadology” on January 14, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said yesterday. It is reported that the clip became available on different websites since then.
“We do not know whether the clip is authentic or not,” he said. “We do have a process to verify the authenticity of such videos. But I cannot disclose the process to the media. We expect to know about it within a day or two.”
The minister said al-Qaeda has no operation in Bangladesh and that the government is capable to destroy terrorist networks in the country.
Al-Qaeda is banned in Bangladesh following a resolution adopted in the UN Security Council in 1999. Bangladesh also imposed a ban on holding any asset by al-Qaeda, or any of its members, in the country. It also put a travel ban on a number of al-Qaeda operatives, including Zawahiri.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, on Saturday said: “Until and unless al-Qaeda officially denies their responsibility over this audio message, we will have reasons to believe that they published it.”
Zawahiri’s audio voice came with footages of Hefazat-e-Islam’s violent rallies in Dhaka last year. Though some parts of the message gives an impression that he was talking about the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders who are facing war crimes charges, he did not mention anything specific.
According to the subtitles, Zawahiri says: “Thousands are being killed in the streets of Bangladesh without any reason, except to have come out to protest the collusion of the anti-Islamic secular government with a bunch of transgressing secularists who are heaping insults and vulgar abuses on Islam and the Prophet of Islam, may peace be upon him.”
The voice goes on to say hundreds of religious scholars were also facing “hardships, manhunt, imprisonment, trials, death sentences and life imprisonment, only because they have taken a stance against the agents of this Crusade.”
Zawahiri invited Muslims in Bangladesh to confront this Crusade against Islam, “which is being orchestrated by the leading criminals in the subcontinent and the West against Islam, the prophet of Islam, and the Islamic creed, so that they may turn you into slaves of a despotic and disbelieving system.”
The state minister for home affairs yesterday said in some countries, terrorist organisations like al-Qaeda with the instigation and support of the people can carry out evil purposes. “But people in our country do not like or support the activities of such terrorist organisation.”
“We are confident to face any challenges,” Asaduzzaman said, adding the threat of al-Qaeda was nothing new.
The law enforcement agencies had been asked to examine and identify the culprits. They would be brought to the book, he said.
“We are sharing experience about counter terrorism with the US and the UK.”
When contacted, Kelly S McCarthy, the press officer at US Embassy in Dhaka, said they were aware of the video.
“The United States rejects al-Qaeda and the use of violence for political purposes. Moreover, we reject Zawahiri’s characterisation of Bangladesh, which is a moderate, tolerant Muslim society that rejects the kind of extremism espoused by Al Qaeda,” McCarthy told the Dhaka Tribune.
BTRC requests NTMC
The telecom regulator has requested the National Telecom Monitoring Centre (NTMC) – maintained by the Armed Forces Division – to track down the source of the audio message and confirm whether it is real of false.
Early yesterday, the BTRC blocked “jihadology.net” through the Internet Gateway (IIG) of the country. A senior executive officer said they had blocked the website after getting a letter from the BTRC around midnight.
In a letter, the BTRC has also asked Google to withdraw the audio message from the web.
“Though we have technical experts, we are not technically equipped,” a high official told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He said earlier the BTRC had sent similar requests to Facebook authorities but in reply the top social media site questioned the BTRC’s jurisdiction in seeking such information, or asking it to withdraw clips from the web.
Last year, the BTRC took an initiative to filter contents from the internet after some user generated videos and messages had created nationwide controversy, but little progress has been made. Sources at the telecom regulator said it received nine proposals and shortlisted seven firms to carry out the works.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
Please look for the sources in RAW headquarters in India. Or make up another story.