Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman was involved directly in providing assistance to the activists of new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya to take training in Bandarban and bear the expenses, chief of the Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP Asaduzzaman said Tuesday. Briefing reporters at Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre, Asaduzzaman said Rafat, son of Shafiqur Rahman, along with one of his associates were arrested from Jatrabari area of the city on November 9. Before the arrest of Rahat, the CTTC unit also arrested three members of new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from Jatrabari area of the city while they were heading towards Sylhet for training, he said. Following the confessional statement from them, they arrested Rahat and his associates. After interrogating Rafat, it is known that all the youth arrested had been involved in the politics of Shibir and now joined the new militant group, he added. “Rafat was a member of Ansar Al Islam and collected some supporters from the militant group to join their new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. A group of young people, who left homes recently, led by Rafat went to Bandarban from there they went to Sylhet for training from militants with Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed group in the Chattogram Hill Tracts,” he said. Also read: Jamaat chief put on 7-day remand The Jamaat ameer was involved in sending the young people who left home recently to the hilly areas for training and bearing their expenses, said Asaduzzaman. Besides, a physician identified as Shakir was also arrested in this connection. CTTC unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman in the early hours of Tuesday. A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman on a 7-day remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury passed the order after the hearing. END/UNB/MJ-MAS/ssk

The man who led the group in snatching two death row convicts and members of banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam from Dhaka court premises using pepper spray on police members on Sunday has been identified. Md Asaduzzaman, Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan police told this to reports at a press briefing on Monday at capital's DMP media center. “We got the name of the man and some of his associates. But will not disclose it for the sake of investigation,” he said. “We have received intelligence information on how the escape of those two militants was planned. Arresting them is our main target at the moment,” said the CTTC chief. Read more: 2 militants who escaped from Dhaka court will be arrested any time soon: DB Chief Replying to a question he said, “They planned to snatch all four militants who got down from the police van first but were able to take only two. If all 12 militants had got down from the van at once they would have tried to take them all. Further information on their plan can be known after arresting the miscreants involved in the operation.” CTTC chief Asaduzzaman said both the convicts were top level militants of Ansar-al-Islam who were arrested by CTTC in 2016. “Arresting them again is equally important to us as before,” he added. Replying to another question he said “We are maintaining the highest alert to arrest them but I don’t believe there is any such word as ‘Red Alert’ in police jargon. All the points have been alerted to ensure the militants cannot leave the country.” He said no new militant outfit was involved in Sunday's incident . On Sunday, two members of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam, who were sentenced to death in Jagriti Publications publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case, escaped from the premises of Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court (Dhaka CMM Court). Read more: Five cops suspended over escape of 2 convicted militants The escapees are Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran. Publisher Dipan, son of Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Supermarket at Shahbagh in Dhaka on October 31, 2015.

A hard-and-soft approach needs to be applied to control militancy as it cannot be contained just by enforcing law, said chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Md Monirul Islam.