With an aim to build a strong base in Bangladesh, IS-inspired militant outfit Neo JMB has recently formed a 20-member committee.

The committee members, all from the “military wing” of the outfit, have named the committee “Islamic State of Bengal Province”.

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It also planned to train the members in Pakistan on making firearms and set up a factory in Bangladesh after collecting a firearm from Kashmir as sample, according to sources in Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

The Neo JMB’s improvised explosive device (IED) expert, Sabbir Hossain, 26, also the military wing commander of its Mymensingh region unit, has named the committee.

CTTC officials claimed to have collected the information about Sabbir, also known as Bamchi Barak alias Major Bamchi alias Abu Hafs al Bengali, through tracking the Neo JMB strategy.

Rahmatullah Chowdhury, additional deputy commissioner of CTTC unit, said they recently came to know about the activities of Sabbir.

“We have learnt that Sabbir is carrying out activities hiding in Bangladesh. We are now trying to trace him and his associates to bring them to book,” Rahmatullah, also the chief of the CTTC’s Bomb Disposal Unit, told The Daily Star.

Sources said Sabbir has split the newly formed committee into four sub-sections — “control wing”, “military wing”, “Shariah wing” and “financial wing”.

Sabbir, who hails from a village in Jamalpur, had joined the militant outfit in 2016 on an online invitation.

The incumbent Neo JMB ameer, Mahadi Hasan Jon, had declared Sabbir a leader in 2019, said investigators.

Jon is now operating the Neo JMB from Turkey. He was recently planning to hand over the charge of the outfit’s Bangladesh operations to a new leader as it became difficult for him to run the organisation from abroad, according to a recent intelligence report of a law enforcement agency.

“We have learnt that Sabbir is an expert in making IED and he gained the expertise through watching videos online. We suspect that he has some IEDs in his possession,” said a high official of the CTTC unit, requesting anonymity.

“We have details about transactions of Tk 2 lakh through an online money transfer platform. The money might have been sent home from abroad by Jon,” the official told The Daily Star.

Based on analysis of some online communication details, the official claimed to have learnt that Sabbir already visited Jamalpur, Sherpur, Tangail and Kurigram to recruit members for Neo JMB.

Intelligence sources claimed Sabbir is also a relative of mainstream JMB Ameer Salahuddin Ahmed alias Salehin, who is believed to be hiding in India. Recently, Sabbir came in close contact with the family members of mainstream JMB’s bomb expert Mizan alias Boma Mizan.

Mizan was arrested in India in 2018.

Sources said Sabbir made some printed tutorial matter on how to make IED, drone, and bomb.

CTTC officials said they have information that Sabbir had a meeting with two Islamic scholars in which he tried to convince the duo to work for the outfit.

Analysing some investigation data, the officials said Sabbir is now planning to make bulletproof jacket, collect a modern firearm from Kashmir and make at least 2,000 firearms to distribute those among the military wing members of Neo JMB.

Officials also found that Sabbir suggested not using WhatsApp for communications as it can be tracked.

The CTTC unit is now trying to know about his educational background and family history to get more details.