Members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested the media coordinator of the banned militant outfit Hizb-ut-Tahrir from Bashundhara residential area early Friday. The arrestee has been identified as Imtiaz Selim, 42, confirmed by Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP. A process was underway to produce him before a Dhaka court, he said. Read: 2 ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir members’ held in Gazipur The arrestee is accused in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh police station. Moreover, there are two cases against him with Pallabi and Khilgaon police stations respectively. He is under trial in three other cases, the DMP official said. Read more: Hizb-ut-Tahrir man held in Keraniganj

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that the government is picking up innocent people and branding them as militants to get the attention of the Western world and India.  “You have seen a few days ago that some ordinary and  innocent people were picked up from a locality, which they mentioned as a deep jungle and labeled them as militants,” he said. Speaking at a discussion meeting, the BNP leader said the government did it to show that there are militancy and fanatics in Bangladesh. “And only they (AL govt) are needed to suppress the militants. This is their main purpose, this is what they want to show to the Western world and India. BNP chalks out programmes to celebrate 45th founding anniversary In fact, he said the current regime and Awami League are militants as they are killing and destroying the common people and taking away all their rights by imposing the tag of terrorism and militancy on them. “Yes the people of this country are religious… it is neither  a sin nor a crime. The government is trying to make (political) political gains by branding people who practice religion as militants,” he observed. A faction of Jatiya Party (Zafar) arranged the discussion at the Institution of the Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 8th death anniversary of its founder Kazi Zafar Ahmed. Fakhrul said the current government has strongly established the rule of a one-person and one-party by snatching all rights of people and ruining all the institutions. “The existence of our nation now depends on whether we can remove the fascism. “ Dhaka South BNP to stage demos on Tuesday He said it is encouraging that people are protesting and waking up against the current fascist regime and 22 people have sacrificed their lives on the streets over the one year. The BNP leader said that the democratic forces must suppress the fascists to establish democracy and a democratic state system. He alleged that the government picked up six Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders from a house and showed them arrested with three arms after 48 hours. “Those weapons appear to have been hidden under the earth 20/25 years and brought from there that day.  This false propaganda is an attempt to fool people. They think people of all countries are fools, but everyone understands that they (govt) want to stay in power by resorting to deception like this,” the BNP leader said. Democracy not safe in BNP's hands: Quader Fakhrul also slammed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her Monday's remarks against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and the Zia family. “The prime minister who usurped power called Ziaur Rahman's family a killer. I strongly condemn and protest it.” He said most opposition political parties are now decided not to join any election under the current Awami League government. The BNP leader said the Prime Minister must quit and hand over power to a non-party neutral government by dissolving parliament to pave the way for holding a credible national election and ensuring a democratic process in the country.  

Police in Turkey carried out raids on homes in 21 provinces on Tuesday, detaining some 110 people for alleged links to Kurdish militants, the country’s state-run news agency reported. The raids, which come weeks ahead of Turkey’s May 14 parliamentary and presidential elections, targeted politicians, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists, Tayip Temel, a deputy leader of the country’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, wrote on Twitter. “On the eve of the election, the government has resorted once again to detentions out of fear of losing power,” Temel tweeted. Also Read: Erdogan hints Turkey may ratify Finland's NATO membership The detained are suspected of financing the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, of recruiting members or of engaging in propaganda on behalf of the group, Anadolu Agency reported. The group, which has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey, is considered a terror organization by the United States and the European Union. The pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya agency reported that one of its editors and a journalist were among those detained. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking a third presidential term, faces the toughest electoral test of his 20-year rule. Opinion polls have given a united opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a slight lead over the strongman politician. The HDP has extended its tacit support to Kilicdaroglu by deciding not to field its own candidate in the presidential race.

The wife of one of the two convicted militants who fled Dhaka court with the help of other militants has been arrested from Narayanganj. The arrestee is Shikha, wife of Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab. Tipped off, a team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) conducted a drive in the area and arrested Sikha from Narayanganj on Friday night. Details about the arrest will be disclosed through a media briefing. Read more: 2 militants who escaped from Dhaka court will be arrested any time soon: DB Chief Two militants- Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran- were sentence to death in publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case. They managed to escape Dhaka court premises with the help of some  other militants after using pepper spray on policemen on November 20, 2022. They are members of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam.  

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four more members of the newly formed militant outfit ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’ from Chattogram’s Patiya.  They were arrested in a drive conducted by RAB in Patiya’s bypass area on Tuesday night, the elite force told a news conference on Wednesday. The law enforcement agencies have been conducting an anti-militancy operation throughout the country since October last year.  The arrested 4 militants are – Hossain Ahmed (22), Nihal Abdullah (19), Al Amin (22), and Al Amin alias Partha Kumar Das (21).  Among them, Hussain Ahmed's home is in Dasmina in Patuakhali, Nihal and Al Amin's in Sadar in Cumilla and Al Amin alias Parth's home is in Dumuria in Khulna. The arrestees left their home as part of ‘Hijrat’ under the influence of newly introduced ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’ and took part in armed training in Chattogram Hill Tract,   said Commander Khandaker Al Moin, RAB’s Director (Law and Media). In the press conference at Chandgaon RAB-7 Media Centre in the city on Wednesday morning, Commander Moin said that eight young men went missing from Cumilla Sadar area on August 23 last year.  Later, their families filed general diaries at the city’s Kotwali Thana police station. During their investigation, RAB got information about their affiliation with a new militant organisation called 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.' At the same time, RAB also learned that the members of that organisation were receiving armed training with the help of separatist organisations in Chattogram Hill Tract area. Based on the information, the elite force conducted an operation and arrested 10 people including seven members of the newly launched militant outfit and three members of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) from Bandarban and Rangamati.  Since then, RAB has conducted dozens of operations across the country and arrested more than 30 members of the militant outfit as well as the separatist organisation.  “We’ve arrested five members of the new militant outfit during an operation in Bandarban’s Rowangchhari  and Thanchi on January 11,” Commander Moin said. “On January 23, we arrested the head of the military wing, Ranbir --  also a Sura member in the militant organisation --  and the explosives expert, Bashar, from an area adjacent to the Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar,” he said. RAB has so far arrested 55 members and leaders of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. At least 17 members of KNF, which is based in the Chattogram Hill Tract, were also arrested for assisting the militants in training and other activities in the hills. 

A Rangamati court on Tuesday sent 44 suspected members of militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, who were arrested in different anti-militant drives in the district, to jail in separate cases. The court also put five members of the armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) on a five-day remand. Rangamati Senior Judicial Magistrate Swarna Komol passed the order when police produced 49 members of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) before the court. Also Read: Nayeb-e-Amir of militant group Jama'atul Ansar arrested from Dhaka’s Sayedabad: CTTC Earlier in the day, the militants were taken to the court amid tight security. Also Read: 12 militants, 14 KNF members arrested so far in anti-militancy drive in Bandarban: RAB   Law enforcers conducted separate drives in the hilly areas of Rangamati and Bandarban districts and arrested 50 militants Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and KNF members recently.        

A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday. Moazzam Jah Ansari said the bomber had been identified and police were close to arresting members of the network that was behind Monday's attack, one of the deadliest ever in Peshawar, the capital in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. “We will avenge the martyrdom of each and every policeman," Ansari told a news conference. The blast collapsed the roof of the 50-year-old mosque, killing 101 people, mostly policemen. Two hundred twenty-five people were injured. Ansari spoke a day after dozens of police officers in a rare move joined a peace march organized by the members of civil society groups in Peshawar, demanding protection for themselves. Also read: Pakistan blames 'security lapse' for mosque blast; 100 dead Hours after the bombing, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif accused the Pakistani Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, of carrying out the attack, saying they were operating from neighboring Afghan territory. Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban to take action against the TTP group. Shortly after the bombing, a TTP commander claimed responsibility, but more than 10 hours after the attack the chief spokesman for the group distanced the TTP from the carnage, saying it was not its policy to attack mosques. On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister, however, had asked Pakistani authorities to look for the reasons behind militant violence in their country instead of blaming Afghanistan. The comments from Amir Khan Muttaqi came after Pakistani officials said the attackers who orchestrated Monday’s suicide bombing were using Afghan soil to target civilians and security forces. More than 300 worshippers were praying in the Sunni mosque, with more approaching, when the bomber set off his explosives vest. Ansari said the attacker was not searched because guards assumed that he was one of their colleagues. “Yes, I admit that it was a security lapse and I take responsibility for it," Ansari said. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited a hospital in Peshawar after the bombing and vowed “stern action” against those behind the attack. Pakistan, which is mostly Sunni Muslim, has seen a surge in militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended a cease-fire with government forces. The violence has increased in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops pulled out of the country after 20 years of war. The TTP is separate from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban. ___ Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed contributed to this story from Islamabad

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have arrested a convicted member of the banned militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir from Dhaka's Jatrabari area. The arrestee was identified as Tauhidur Rahman Tauhid, 32, an active member of the ‘Dawah’ and finance department of the militant group. He was sentenced to two years' rigorous imprisonment by an Anti-Terrorism Tribunal. Read more: 12 militants, 14 KNF members arrested so far in anti-militancy drive in Bandarban: RAB Tipped off, a special team of Rab-2 conducted a drive in Dhaka's Jatrabari on Saturday and arrested Tauhid, Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Fazlul Haque, senior additional director (Media) of Rab-2, said. Tauhid was indicted in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at the capital's Hazaribagh Police Station. He has been absconding for the past 11 years and continued his involvement with the militant group, said the Rab official. According to the Rab official, Tauhid was actively involved in anti-state activities -- holding meetings to conspire against the government and distributing leaflets and posters of Hizb ut-Tahrir to encourage madrasa and school students to be engaged in militancy. Read more: 3 ‘members of new militant outfit’ held with arms, explosives in Bandarban Efforts are on to nab his associates based on his information. Legal processes are underway against the arrestee, said the Rab officer.

Twelve members of new militant group 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' and 14 members of armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) have been arrested so far in the ongoing anti-militancy drive that started on October 10,2022. Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rapid Action Battalion’s (RAB) legal and media wing, disclosed this at a press briefing over the arrest at zila parishad office in the town on Thursday. He briefed reporters after the arrest of five suspected members of new militant outfit 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' from Thanchi and Rowangchhari upazilas of Bandarban. Read More: 3 ‘members of new militant outfit’ held with arms, explosives in Bandarban They were brought to the Rab office in the town in the morning. “Besides, we have a list of 55 people who took training in the hills being inspired by militancy.  Legal steps will be taken against those who have been arrested, said Moin. The ban on tourism in Rowangchhari, Thanchi and Ruma upazilas is still on as the anti-militancy drive is continuing in the hill district. The main purpose of the drives by the elite force was to capture those who are taking shelter and taking training there after tracing their location, said Moin. Read More: Bandarban: Ban on tourism in 3 upazilas extended till Dec 11 In 2021, the Amir of Jamatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya had an agreement with the CHT-based armed group KNF regarding militant training in the area till next year. As per the agreement, Tk 3 lakh per month and food expenses of all KNF members were to be borne, the RAB official said in a press briefing last year.

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested three suspected members of new militant outfit 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya', from Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban and Kadamtoli area in Dhaka. The arrestees were Kabir Ahmed, 50, arms supplier, Yeasin, 40, an aide of Shamim Mahfuz, a mastermind of the new militant group and trainer and Abdur Rahman Imran. Kabir Ahmed was arrested from Bandarban and the rest were arrested from Dhaka based on information given by Kabir. The members of the new militant outfit used local and foreign made firearms during their training, said DMP's Additional Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman, also CTTC chief at a press briefing held at DMP media centre on Monday. Police also seized three locally made arms, six guns, 11 bullets, lead, acid, gun powder, octane and other chemicals from their possession, said Asaduzzaman. The CTTC unit conducted the drives based on the information gleaned from two members of the new militant group--Saiful Islam Tuhin and Naim Hossain, who were arrested from the hill districts of Chattogram on December 21, he said. After interrogation, police identified Kabir as the main arms supplier and arrested him from Bandarban district. Following interrogation, they seized the arms and ammunition from two plastic drums, digging soil in a hilly area of Bandarban, said the CTTC chief. During interrogation, Kabir confessed to police that that he was the main arms supplier the militant outfit and he planned to supply the arms seized during the drive to some extremists, he said. Read more: Jamaat ameer involved in breeding new militant outfit: CTTC chief Mahfuz contacted Kabir several times for arms for providing training to the militants, he said. Meanwhile, the team conducted another drive in Kadamtoli area of the capital and arrested two more members of the outfit, he added. It is known that, Yeasin and Rahman were two active members of the outfit and close aide of Mahfuz and through Rahman Mahfuz used to run his financial activities, said Asaduzzaman. Replying a question, Asaduzzaman said they are working for those who have fled their houses and it is still not clear yet how many members are there in the militant outfit. A case was filed under Anti-terrorism Act with Demra Police Station and remand will be sought for the arrestees after producing them before the court, he said. From October 10, law enforcement agencies started a joint drive against the underground extremists and criminals in the district.