UN Under-Secretary-General for Counterterrorism Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov has appreciated the good practices of Bangladesh to counter-terrorism and prevent violent extremism. Voronkov invited Bangladesh to share their story of success in the upcoming high-level meeting of the heads of counter-terrorism institutions of the Member States scheduled to take place in June 2023.  Recognizing Bangladesh as an important partner of the United Nations in its efforts to counter global terrorism, the Under-Secretary-General also expressed his readiness to extend necessary cooperation in relevant fields including financing of terrorism, nuclear terrorism, capacity building and technical assistance.  Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said the current government of Bangladesh, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, maintains a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism in its all forms and manifestation. He made the remarks during his bilateral meetings with Gambian Interior Minister Seyaka Sonko and UN Under-Secretary-General for Counterterrorism Voronkov held at the UN headquarters on Wednesday.  The meetings took place on the sidelines of the 3rd UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS 2022). Bangladesh’s Home Minister led the delegation accompanied by Inspector General of Police, Dr. Benazir Ahmed and officials of the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, officials from Police Headquarters and Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations, said the Bangladesh Mission in the UN on Thursday.  During meeting with Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Counterterrorism, the Home Minister shared the various initiatives and policies undertaken by the government of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and sought cooperation from the office of Counter-terrorism in the areas of mutual interest in future. 

The head of the online Dawah branch of banned militant group Ansar-al-Islam has been arrested by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), a senior official said on Monday. Hasibur Rahman alias Azzam Al Ghalib was captured on Sunday after a special drive in the Abdullahpur embankment area of the capital's Uttara. Son of Habibur Rahman of Mahipur police station in Patuakhali district, he is a LLB (Honors) 1st year student of Manarat International University. Also read: Five ‘members of Ansar Al Islam’ held in Dhaka, Keraniganj Briefing reporters at the DMP's media center on Monday, CTTC chief and Additional Commissioner of the DMP Md Asaduzzaman said Hasibur was introduced with "Zaid Ibne Ali" and "Shafayet Musanna Isa" IDs through telegrams. Then they started propagating the same ideology and member recruitment activities together. Hasibur, along with Zayed and Shafayet, led the online radicalization as the head of the so-called "Tri-Ratne" propagating the ideology of Ansar al-Islam. The mobile phones seized from the arrested Hasibur were initially searched and various extremist content including Facebook, Messenger, Telegram apps were found. Recently, Al Amin Siddiqui, the operator of "Zayed Ibne Ali" and "Shafayet Musanna Isa" IDs, and Jobaida Siddique Nabila, a female militant, were arrested by CTTC. Hasibur used to spread various statements of Ansar Al Islam ideology on various social media and online platforms. He had a far-reaching plan and objective to introduce the state system in the shadow of the banned organization Ansar al-Islam. To this end, he radicalized the younger generation by inciting them to violent extremism by posting various descriptions describing the necessity and effectiveness of the so-called armed jihad, the CTTC chief said. He also said that the arrested militant had been performing the responsibility as the head of the online Dawah branch of the banned militant group Ansar al-Islam. Also read: Ansar Al Islam leader placed on 3-day remand He passed SSC in 2016 and while studying higher secondary at Dhaka Oxford International College, when he was introduced to the ideology of violent extremism and militancy. During this time he began to read a large number of extremist books.

A Chinese UN envoy on Friday refuted accusations by the United States over China's counter-terrorism efforts in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.