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Bangladesh

'Jubo League man' detained linked to JMB hijacking

2014-05-01

[Dhaka Tribune] A suspected member of banned myrmidon group Jama'at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) yesterday blamed a leader of Mymensingh unit Jubo League ... the youth wing of the Bangla Awami League... for leading the safe passage of one of the three convicted JMB leaders who were hijacked from a prisons van in Trishal on February 23. The accused, Ataur Rahman Kamal alias Juboraj, is the joint secretary of Bhaluka thana unit Jubo League, youth wing of the Awami League. His father is also a ruling party leader in Bhaluka. The disclosure came at a press briefing at the RAB headquarters following the arrest of eight suspects in the last few days for their alleged involvement in the incident. According to the elite force officials, six of them were incarcerated I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! for their direct links with the hijacking incident and making safe route for one of the Death Eaters while the two others for helping them in their attempts to leave the country. There were several other groups active on the spot to bring out the two "Jagoron Tutorial Home" at Bhaluka. Police at different times arrested at least 11 persons in connection with the incident. JMB Majlish-e-Shura members Rakib, Salauddin alias Salehin and Zahidul Islam alias Boma Mizan had been hijacked from a prison van while they had been taken to a Mymensingh court from Gazipur jail. Rakib had been arrested a day after the incident and was killed in a shootout by the police. The hijackers also killed one of the coppers escorting the van. Of the three, Salauddin and Rakib were death row convicts while Boma Mizan a lifer. At the press briefing, Sabuj said: "The hijacking of Hafez Mahmud alias Rakib Hassan was carried out under the directives and leadership of Ataur Rahman Kamal alias Juboraj." Talking to several journalists in Mymensingh and locals in Bhaluka, it was learnt that Kamal's father Mujibor Rahman is a vice-president of the upazila unit Awami League. Mujibor is a former vice-chairman of Bhaluka Upazila Gay Pareehad. Sabuj said Kamal had informed them about the plan and each of them were given Tk20,000 for the purpose. He claimed that six persons had taken part in the operation while Kamal was present near the scene of the crime on a black microbus. "We helped Rakib Hassan to reach Fulbaria from Trishal and then he chose his own way," he added. However, a clean conscience makes a soft pillow... Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman, director of RAB's Legal and Media Wing, ruled out the claims Sabuj had made at the press bringing. "All the eight detainees are myrmidons. Whenever any criminal is arrested, he or she opts for political shelter as a technique," he said. He claimed that separate groups had taken part in the hijacking and each was tasked with different duties. They did not know each other. "The hijacking of the JMB leader was a long-term plan. The group led by Sabuj was tasked with the safe escaping of Rakib Hasan only." Habibur said they were trying to identify members of the other groups. Asked about action against Kamal for his alleged involvement in the incident, the official said they had started investigating into the allegation.

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Bangladesh

It was LeTs grenade

2011-01-27

[Bangla Daily Star] Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJI Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. ) used a grenade to kill Awami League leader SAMS Kibria in 2004 from a cache it was supposed to transport to India-administered Kashmire for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The LeT high-ups in Pakistain The ones who reported directly to the ISI? had sent the cache to Bangladesh to despatch it to their men in Kashmire through Satkhira border. But the HuJI did not dare to follow the instruction thanks to the Indian authorities' interception of the previous consignment. *snicker* Wise decision. The cache of 32 grenades, which the HuJI received in Chittagong, rested in Bangladesh for a while before those were used in different major attacks. The grenades were hurled at AL chief and then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004, the then British high commissioner Anwar Choudhury, AL leaders Suranjit Sengupta, Syeda Jebunnesa Haq, and Badruddin Ahmed Kamran, also mayor of Sylhet. No doubt the ISI approved of the mayhem, afterward. The revelation came six years into the sensational killing of former finance minister Kibria at an AL rally in Baidder Bazar in Habiganj. Talking to The Daily Star, sources involved in the investigation said this major finding could lead to arrest of those criminal masterminding the murder. Rafiqul Islam of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who is tasked with carrying out an additional investigation into the killing, said, "We now know who supplied the grenades and who received those in Bangladesh." But he would not identify by name the HuJI men who were directly involved in the incident. Sources say Mozaffar Shah, leader of the Kashmire-based LeT, sent the grenades to Chittagong through a ship from Pakistain. "Majid Butt and Moulana Tajuddin were responsible for receiving those in Chittagong and transport the lot to the capital," says a source. Abdul Majid Butt, who also used the name Yusuf Butt, A wise decision. is an Indian national and senior leader of Kashmire-based Islamic exemplar organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. He had been staying in Bangladesh for long using different names to hide his identity. He married a woman from Pabna and was staying in different parts of the country including Dhaka. Law enforcers jugged Majid with firearms in the capital's Uttara on January 7, 2009. His identity as a Islamic exemplar operative in disguise was revealed in an investigation that ended by the yearend. Moulana Tajuddin is the brother of Abdus Salam Pintu, BNP leader and former deputy minister of BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance government. A leader of the HuJI, Tajuddin went into hiding after the August 21 grenade attack. LeT, Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad are linked with an alliance operating in India-administered Kashmire. HuJI is the local controller for smuggling firearms, ammunition and explosives there through Bangladesh. "The Indian Border Security Force intercepted a consignment of firearms and explosives during such an attempt by the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004. This shook the HuJI men in Bangladesh," adds the source. As a result, the HuJI men stopped transporting the 32 grenades and kept those in Bangladesh, the source continues. "Moulana Tajuddin brought those to Dhaka with the help of Butt." Of the grenades, nine were sent to HuJI men in Sylhet region for use in different attacks on AL leaders and the then British high commissioner. Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul, a leader of HuJI's Sylhet region who received the grenades and distributed those as per their "needs", kept one to kill SAMS Kibria, say sources. "Instructed by Bipul, one Nayeem Ahmed Arif alias Limu gave the grenade to Badrul Alam Mizan to execute Kibria killing plan on January 27, 2005," another source says. Mizan had Mizanur Rahman Mithu, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Badrul with him during the operation, the source adds. Splitting in two groups, Mizan and Mohammad Ali were riding on a cycle of violence, while the rest took an auto-rickshaw to reach Baidder Bazar where Kibria, also the politician elected from the constituency, was attending a programme as the chief guest. "Though assigned to throw the grenade, Mohammad Ali got nervous and asked Mizan to do it. Well-trained in handling explosives, Mizan carried out the mission successfully," says the source. Talking on the motive of the killing, sources quoted nabbed HuJI leader Mufti Abdul Hannan as saying that the HuJI Majlish-e-Shura was of the view that the AL is an anti-Islam and pro-Indian political party that needed to be eliminated. "This viewpoint led Bipul to design several plans to attack AL leaders in Sylhet region," the source adds. Well-placed sources say many leaders of the then government were fully aware of the HuJI activities. Instead of taking any steps against it, they kept mum encouraging HuJI men to continue with their plans. "Though several such instances have been found in our probe, we don't have enough hard evidence to officially bring charges against them," comments an investigator. Only Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister for home, has been shown jugged in connection with the Kibria murder. His name might also come in the charge sheet, adds the source. "What we have learned about Babar so far regarding his involvement is that he helped Moulana Tajuddin escape to Pakistain," said investigation officer (IO) Rafiqul Islam. After his detention by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence in 2005, Tajuddin revealed information about all the attacks including smuggling of firearms and explosives. Accordingly, the DGFI men conveyed the information to the government high-ups including Babar. Babar later arranged a safe passage for Tajuddin to Pakistain. "Being the state minister for home, Babar helped Tajuddin escape and diverted the course of investigation. We're now examining whether his role allows us to accuse him officially in the charge sheet," the IO added. The sources say Sherlocks have so far identified 15 HuJI men and Babar against who they can press charges. The CID and the government officials concerned are now scrutinising the draft of the additional probe report. Nine out of the 16 accused are behind the bars now. They are Babar, Mufti Hannan, Abu Zandal, Mohibullah Ovi, Bipul, Limu, Badrul Alam Mizan, Mizanur Rahman Mithu and Majid Butt. The runaways are Tajuddin, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Badrul, Mufti Abdul Hye, Mufti Shafiqur Rahman and Yusuf bin Sharif. Ahsanullah Kajal, who was jugged in India, died there. During the BNP-Jamaat rule, the Sherlocks pressed charges against 10 local leaders of BNP and its front organisations. Kibria's family and complainant of the case advocate Abdul Mazid Khan, MP, did not accept that charge sheet. The caretaker government later ordered an additional probe into the killing. Asma Kibria, widow of Kibria, said she has no idea what is coming up in the investigation. "What I know is from newspaper reports. And I am not satisfied because I thought the Awami League government could expedite the process and take shorter period of time," she told The Daily Star. "We are disappointed. If the party my husband worked for, which is now in power, fails to punish the killers, we don't see any slightest possibility of justice in future. "Not because that my husband was a leader of Awami League, I have the right to get justice as a common citizen of the country," she added. Asma Kibria thinks some of the then government assisted the HuJI men in killing SAMS Kibria. "Those criminal masterminds have to be identified and punished duly," she added.

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Bangladesh

Another JMB kingpin held

2010-06-07

[Bangla Daily Star] Detective branch (DB) of police arrested another top leader of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh from the city's Sabujbagh on Saturday. On secrete information, a DB team arrested Shahed bin Hafiz from a road at Bashabo in the afternoon. Shahed was a member of the JMB's first Majlish-e-Shura (highest decision-making body of the outfit), DB assistant commissioner Rafiqul Islam, who led the drive, told The Daily Star yesterday. "Shahed was appointed as one of the six shura members at a meeting in which executed JMB chief Shaekh Abdur Rahman was appointed as the amir (chief)," said Rafiqul after primary interrogation. Other shura members were Nasrullah of Thakurgaon, Rakib Hossain Russell alias Hafez Mahmood of Jamalpur, Alamgir Hossain Rana, Salahuddin alias Salehin of Mymensingh and Khaled Saifullah. Shahed got introduced with two other executed JMB leaders Ataur Rahman Sunny and Khaled Saifullah while he was studying at Mohammadia Arabia Madrasa at Jatrabari in the city. The two introduced him with Abdur Rahman and in no time Shahed became a trusted member of JMB. Son of Hafizar Rahman of Pakulla village of Sonatola upazila in Bogra, 40-year-old Shahed has a cloth shop, Classic Fashion, at New Market in the town. DB officials said they also collected Shahed's several photographs that show that he is an expert in martial art. Shahed's arrest came after a couple of weeks into the arrest of JMB supremo Moulana Saidur Rahman with his wife and three other JMB leaders from Dhaka and Narayanganj.

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Bangladesh

JMB finds friends in outlawed parties

2010-04-25

Where else would they look? Banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh has approached a new strategy to regain its strength and is trying to develop ties with different groups including the outlawed parties. Because when you're one of the uncool kids, hanging out with those even less cool will make you cooler. Officials of Rapid Action Battalion fighting militancy say they have already marked and broke a link between JMB and outlawed Gono Bahini. I'll bet the shutter gun got a real workout, too ... "The JMB contacted an outlawed group for firearms but failed as we detected and dismantled the link," Rab Director (intelligence wing) Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan told The Daily Star. Rab sources say JMB was left in ruins following the execution of its six top brass leaders in 2007 and constant arrest of other leaders and operatives. But now the outfit might try to establish a relation with other banned outfits like Harkatul Jihad al Islami, Hizb-ut Tahrir and even the war criminals to regain strength. Birds of a feather ... The sources add they have information that JMB Shura member Sohel Mahfuz, who hails from Charsreekal village in Kumarkhali upazila, Kushtia, sought firearms several times from top Gono Bahini leader Ashraful Islam alias Mandar about a month ago. Mandar was eventually spotted and killed in a "shootout" with the Rab members in Kushtia on April 7. RAB spotted him, grabbed him, cuffed him, put him in the back of a 2-1/2 ton truck, drove to the banana grove in Kushtia, put a round of bullet behind each ear, rolled him out the back of the truck, retrieved the cuffs, carefully planted the shutter gun, took pictures, retrieved said shutter gun, lit cigars, drove back home, wiped down shutter gun, put shutter gun in velvet case, finished cigars, returned shutter gun to Sergeant Chaudhray at the RAB lock-up, transmitted pics to RAB PR department, filed expenses, and went home to bed. Whew! It's a good thing they're fit, with such a schedule. Interestingly, JMB came to limelight for its so-called outlaw cleansing operation in 2003 under the banner Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) in different northwestern districts. Several ministers of the then ruling four-party alliance government and party leaders patronised JMJB in the vigilante operations that left several people dead. Meanwhile, Rab officials say JMB is still running its invitational activities in limited scale in all district and divisional headquarters despite being almost in a fragile state. Its invitation wing members are targeting students of schools, colleges and madrasas for recruitment. The JMB members are however a bit more active in the districts of Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj and Comilla, they observe. Some recently held JMB operatives revealed these to the crime busting force during interrogation, Rab officials say. Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan said, "Some arrested JMB operatives admitted that their operatives hiding in district towns as rickshaw-pullers or hotel boys continue 'dawati' activities in mosques in limited scale posing as Tabligh Jamaat men." He added JMB members first target simpleton students from madrasas, schools and colleges in guise of Tabligh men. When they think their targets have become infatuated with Islam, the militants invite them to join JMB. He however said JMB is running this activity very secretly and in a very limited scale as the outfit is under constant surveillance of Rab. The elite force, however, could not give the exact number of active JMB leaders and operatives. Former military wing commander of JMB "Boma" Mizan during interrogation said the outfit has around 100 Eshar (in-charge of a certain area) members, 500 Gayeri Ehsar (active members) and around 1,000 general members and 2,000 supporters across the country. Mizan was arrested on May 14 last year. The Rab has so far arrested 558 JMB members. Of them, 13 are Majlish-e-Shura members, 112 Ehsar members and the rest are Gayeri Ehsar or general members or supporters.

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Bangladesh

JMB camp busted

2009-09-28

[Bangla Daily Star] Rapid Action Battalion has busted a training camp of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh in a remote hill area in Khagrachhari and arrested five militants in last two days. Once upon a time to be a mujahid was to be a dashing figure of legend. Now they're getting ignominiously killed off all over the world. Predator missiles in Pakistan are only the public face of a world-wide repudiation. The crime-busters raided the training facility at Matiranga under Khagrachhari district on Friday. See? The rakish mujahids of yesteryear have become mere miscreants, treated no differently than a communist splinter group plotting caught plotting at three a.m. in the brickyard. During the swoop, they arrested Abdur Rahim alias Saifullah, second-in-command of Chittagong division JMB, and seized powdered explosives, 14 grenade casings, 20 detonators, 49 books on jihad, 27 batteries and around 1 kg barbed wire. Sergeant Bilal Siddique will need to open a new section of the evidence locker. But really, barbed wire? In follow-up operations yesterday, Rab arrested four JMB cadres--Delwar Hossain alias Sajib, 32, and Yunus Ali alias Yunus, 20, at Shantipur of Matiranga, Delwar Hossain Dulal, 23, in Gazipur and Monir alias Ripon, 25, in Comilla. The arrestees were paraded before the media at a press briefing at the Rab headquarters in Uttara yesterday afternoon. Speaking to reporters there, Rahim said he, Naim and Majlish-e-Shura member Osman alias Shahid had planned an attack on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia during her election campaign in Comilla last year. Of them, Naim was nabbed by Rab. Though he and Osman managed to slip through the dragnet, their plan for assault on the former prime minister failed, he added. At the briefing, Rab's Additional Director General Col Mizanur Rahman Khan said, "It took us around eight months of intelligence work to trace the camp in deep forest." He said the camp, which has three earthen and tin-shed rooms, was not complete for training yet. Rahim was building it on four acres of land purchased in the name of farming. Sajib, one of the arrestees, who owns a poultry farm in the area, had helped in the purchase. Osman oversaw things in this regard on instructions from the outfit's present head Saidur Rahman. "Naim, who was arrested at Chandina in Comilla last year, told us JMB had been shifting its training facilities to far-flung hills, and since then we have been keeping a close watch on the areas," Col Mizan said. Around eight months back, the JMB bought the Matiranga land for around Tk 2 lakh. "JMB activities are getting limited. We are closing in on those still at large and hope to arrest its current chief soon," he added. Rahim, who is also known as Zahid, Habib and Saiful, said he joined JMB in 2004. He fled to Matiranga and took a job at Sajib's poultry farm after the countrywide blasts the following year. A Rab press release said he is a key member of the JMB suicide squad. He hurled a bomb on the Rab team during the Comilla raid last year and ran away. He stands accused in three cases filed in this connection. JMB STRUCTURE At the briefing, Rab officials said Moulana Saidur Rahman's son Bashar plays a key role in running the organisation. Seven members of Shura, highest policymaking body, are Shiblu alias Shishir, Sohel Mahfuz of Kushtia, Mehedi alias Abir of Barguna, Nazmul alias Bhagne Shahid of Natore, Osman alias Shahid of Comilla, Sayeem of Dhaka and Mahmud alias Asad of Panchagarh. Of them, Shishir is in charge of the military wing, Sohel Mahfuz dawat (invitation) department, Mehedi southern districts, Nazmul northern region, Osman Chittagong division and Sayeem takes care of the IT wing. The duties assigned to Mahmud could not yet be known. Mostafiz alias Siddique of Gazipur works as an adviser to the banned outfit.

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Bangladesh

Hunt for new militant outfit with JMB link

2009-08-03

[Bangla Daily Star] Intelligence agencies have come to know about covert activities of an Islamist organisation in the country and its close link with the banned outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. Officials said they have only learnt the name of the new outfit, Jamaat-e-Muslimeen, and its "dawati" (invitational) activities. JMB's explosives expert Zahidul Islam Sumon alias "Boma" Mizan disclosed the name and the limited activities of Jamaat-e-Muslimeen to law enforcers during his interrogation at the task force for intelligence cell, they said. Mizan told them that a member of JMB's highest decision-making body Majlish-e-Shura and the outfit's IT wing chief Sayem maintain contact with Jamaat-e-Muslimeen. He also revealed that a few members of the new outfit joined the JMB recently.

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Bangladesh

JMB took part in Kansat movement

2009-06-22

[Bangla Daily Star] In a sensational revelation, a member of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has said the militant group took part in the Kansat movement in April 2006 because they felt betrayed by the then BNP-led coalition government. The JMB part-timer or gayeri ehsar, interviewed by The Daily Star, also said the militant group has opened two new offices in greater Rajshahi and greater Bogra alongside taking up new strategies to recruit members. JMB became involved in the second round of the four-point Kansat movement in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj on April 21, 2006. A leader of the movement who had prior contacts with the militant group used 500 local JMB full-time and part-time members to destroy government property and set alight several government cars. The JMB members then left the Kansat movement. The BNP went back on the pledge to protect the organisation. The part-time JMB member also said the outfit decided to take part in the movement to unsettle the then BNP government as the BNP went back on the pledge to protect the organisation and annihilate the Sarbaharas. The pledge was given to executed JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman and his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai before the organisation was deployed under the banner of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). This sense of betrayal led JMB members to single out government property and vehicles for attacks in Kansat. The Kansat movement started on January 2006 after locals brought allegation of irregularities against the local Rural Electricity Board officials and irregular power supply. They prosecuted a bombing campaign because of power black-outs? That's certainly a different approach. The Bugtis do something similar with pipelines ... JMB'S CURRENT STATUS The part-time JMB member told The Daily Star that despite being weakened by the government crackdown, the outfit is still using different border routes in Chapainawabganj and Jessore to smuggle in bomb-making materials and small arms from India. He revealed that active members of Majlish-e-Shura are trying to keep the organisation afloat in Dhaka and other divisional towns. Some of the Shura members are "Bhaigna" Shahid from Gaibandha, Hossain alias Shakil and Mahfuz from Pabna, and Saifullah and Abdur Rahim of Chapainawabganj. Saifullah, Abdur Rahim and a few other members are in charge of smuggling in bomb-making materials through different border routes of Chapainawabganj and bringing them to a recently opened office about 12-13 kilometres east of Rajshahi sadar. Another office has been opened in an area between Bogra and Joypurhat districts for the same purpose. Houses of JMB workers have been hired for setting up the two offices. The owners of the houses look after the materials. The JMB member said recruitment has been stalled since JMB's leadership was recast last November. They are including those related to JMB members through blood or marriage while both old ehsar and gayeri ehsar members are being accepted if they want to be active again, he said. Shura member Bhaigna Shahid, who can make 12 bombs in an hour using electric circuits, had his bodyguard Russel arrested in Bogra two months ago. Shahid has revived his activities in Bogra. The JMB is planning attacks in several important districts including Dhaka to embarrass the government, the gayeri ehsar said, adding that recce would be done before implementation of the plan.

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Bangladesh

8 JMB men held, bomb-making materials seized

2009-04-13

The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday arrested eight operatives of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and recovered bomb-making materials in the capital's Khilkhet area. In a pre-dawn raid barely two days before Pahela Baishakh, the elite anti-crime force also seized CDs, audiotapes, computer accessories and manuals, and books and leaflets on jihad. Rab claimed three of the arrestees have been trained to be suicide bombers. They are Abu Sayeed alias Parvez and Yusuf Al Asadullah Bin Wahidullah of Bogra and Sumon alias Abdullah of Narayanganj. Of the others, Abdul Matin alias Zakir of Munshiganj had been coordinating efforts to reorganise JMB that was left in ruins by the execution of its six top brass around two years back. He is brother of Salahuddin, a JMB Majlish-e-Shura (highest policy-making body) member now on death row. The rest four are the Islamist outfit's Dhaka north zone commander Mohammad Hasanuzzaman of Satkhira, part-time members Tariqullah alias Rubel of Tangail and Anwar Hossain alias Baten of Sirajganj, and IT expert Zahidur Rahman alias Zahid of Pirojpur. Those detained are aged between 18 and 32. Back in 1998, Matin played a vital role when JMB supremo Shaikh Abdur Rahman founded the militant organisation at Mohammadia Arabia Madrasa in the city's Jatrabari area. He later went to Saudi Arabia for work. He would regularly send money to Jama'atul Mujahideen until his return from the Middle East in 2007, the year Rahman was executed along with five other top militant leaders. Yesterday's recovery includes 10,000 lithium batteries, 10 detonators, and five packets of high power gel explosives. Rab Additional Director General Col Rezanur Rahman Khan said, "We don't yet know if the arrestees posed a threat to Pahela Baishakh (Bangla New Year) celebrations. Neither are we ruling out the possibility that they might have been plotting terror attacks." However, he added, people need not worry as the law enforcers are working round the clock to ensure foolproof security tomorrow. The arrestees were paraded before the media at a press conference at Rab office in Uttara in the afternoon. Reporters were not allowed to speak to them. Rab-1 Commanding Officer Bakhtiar Alam said a team made up of members from Rab-1 and the Rab intelligence wing began raiding the house of one Moulana Owaz Uddin at Tekpara village in Khilkhet area at around 3:30am yesterday. "We found out about the militant network during interrogation of JMB Dhaka divisional commander Mohtasim Billah alias Bashir alias Nasir. After working for about a month and a half on the leads, we finally managed to bust the den and nab the eight early today." Nasir was arrested in Gazipur on February 20. Referring to the recovery of lithium batteries, he said they [militants] must have procured those for making time bombs. The seized JMB leaflet reads, "Here comes the Jihadi Kafila (caravan). It will destroy the enemies of Allah and his Prophet (S). It will bury the tyrants, exploiters and the dishonest leaders to bring about an Islamic state." The Mujahideen, it continues, are relentless in efforts to "wipe the infidels off the face of the earth" The leaflet says the "Christian-controlled media gives a distorted view of the Mujahideen's noble campaign to free the country from the unbelievers". It goes on to describe the country's press as "spokesmen for the non-Islamic forces".

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Bangladesh

'Mastermind' Jamaat leader arrested

2008-06-16

CID police yesterday arrested a Jamaat-e-Islami leader and Union Parishad chairman from Ullapara Bazaar in Sirajganj for his alleged involvement in the sensational four-murder case. Arrested Ziaul Huq Zia of Char Narina village is also a Majlish-e-Shura member of Shahzadpur upazila Jamaat and chairman of Narina Union Parishad. Since he's a JI member he doesn't get a 3 am wake-up call ... According to police sources, a gang of miscreants entered the house of cloth trader Rejaul Karim Bhutto at Bachmora village and hacked him to death along with his wife Zinzira Khatun, son Ashik, 5, and daughter Rimi, 3 on the night of June 20, 2004. Next day, Shahzadpur police recovered the bodies and sent those to Sirajganj Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. "Whacha think, Dr. Quincy?" "Hacked to death, Sam." "How can you be so sure?" "Stabbing wounds, blade marks, ragged edges, and the fact that each body is in about eleven pieces." The CID investigation report said Ziaul Huq was the mastermind behind the murders. He evaded arrest earlier by using political influence, the report said. Ziaul Huq went into hiding after the 1/11. Tipped off that he came back home, CID police raided Ullapara Bazaar and arrested him yesterday. He was being painfully interrogated when the report was filed yesterday evening. Maybe he will get a 3 am wake-up call ...

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Bangladesh

JMB man to die for Jamalpur killing

2007-08-21

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced a Majlish-e-Shura member of the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned Islamist outfit, to death for killing a Christian youth in Jamalpur four years back. Judge Mohammad Israil Hossain of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 handed down the sentence in the presence of the convict, Salahuddin alias Salehin, at a packed courtroom. The court acquitted two other JMB members -- Amir Khan and Sharif Monwar alias Shiplu -- as the charges brought against them were not proved. Earlier, the prosecution and the defence finished their arguments and the court recorded statements of 14 prosecution witnesses. According to the prosecution, a group of JMB members led by Salahuddin killed Hridoy Roy of Sonarcor in Jamalpur's Sarishabari upazila on April 23, 2003 because he allegedly converted poor Muslim locals to Christianity. A murder case was filed with Sarishabari Police Station following the incident without naming any suspects. Investigation into the case later revealed that JMB members had been behind the killing.

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Bangladesh

Militants regrouping, three bodies unite under single banner

2007-05-05

Banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadres are regrouping along with the fellow militants of Insaf and Allar Dal to see through the job of establishing Islamic law in the country. Meet the new JMB, same as the old JMB, now with new packaging and 20% more Purity™ It's longer, lower, leaner, wider, with more road-hugging weight! According to intelligence sources and information obtained from detainees, the three outfits are now operating under a single banner whose name changes too frequently to keep track of it. Whoa! There it went again! Determined to make up for the loss of their spearheads, they have launched a fresh recruitment drive stealthily, said an intelligence official seeking anonymity. "Join now! The organization with the rapidly changing name wants YOU!" In a secret ballot immediately after the president had turned down the clemency pleas of militant leader Abdur Rahman and his deputies, the JMB, its offshoot Allar Dal, and Insaf, a group led by an Ahle Hadith faction, elected Moulana Sayeedur Rahman alias Abu Jafar as their ameer (commander). In a series of meetings, they reconstituted a six-member Majlish-e-Shura (highest policy-making body) and appointed nine chiefs for as many operational divisions. Besides, the militant remnants vowed to take up the job where it was left off by the executed JMB top brass. They set police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), judges, Ahmadiyya mosques and NGOs as prime targets for attacks. Intelligence officials have gathered that the militants have plans to blast less powerful bombs and carry out the main attack when the law enforcers will be busy at the first explosion site. Despite knowing this beforehand, the law enforcers could not pre-empt the three near-simultaneous explosions at railway stations in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet on May 1. The failure to net the ones leading the regenerated militant campaign led to the blasts that harked back to the August 17 countrywide attacks. Besides, those detained for involvement in militancy did not give enough leads, said sources close to those working on the Islamist groups. The intelligence agencies are now examining if the latest blasts bear any links to the three groups. Linked like little sausages to the sow, they are. The post-Abdur Rahman JMB cadres have decided to remain clean-shaven and not to wear pajamas or punjabis. They believe this would make it difficult for the law enforcers to suspect them by the way they look, added the sources. Following intelligence reports, the authorities have directed the district administration to be on the alert for the regrouped militants. Accordingly, police in different districts have undertaken programmes seeking to aware the locals so that the militants cannot operate under cover. The JMB men had observed a seven-day mourning for its executed leaders. In Bogra, they distributed leaflets asking people to keep a sombre mood during the mourning period. "Or else." The six members of the recast Majlish-e-Shura are Amir Abu Jafar, Anwar Hossain alias Faruq alias Tanvir, Asadul Islam alias Arif alias Maruf, Sayeed alias Russell alias Zubaer, Mahfuz alias Sohel alias Mamun and Abdullah Taslim alias Nahid alias Biplob. Jahidul Islam Sumon alias Mizan alias Kamrul alias Nayan of Sheker Vita of Jamalpur has been appointed the military expert of the new JMB for his expertise in explosives, firearms and ammunition, intelligence officials said. That's a lot of aliases for one man. Must be hard to remember who he is each morning. Those in charge of nine divisions are Rokon alias Leon (Dhaka south), Salahuddin alias Nadim (Dhaka north), Mushad alias Roman (Narsinghdi), Ashiq alias Abul Quasem (Narayanganj), Abdullah Taslim alias Nahid (Tangail), Anwar alias Faruq alias Tanjil (Mymensingh and Sylhet division), Mahfuz alias Sohel alias Abu Sayeed (Khulna), Mehedi Hasan alias Abir (Barisal) and Sayeed alias Russell alias Zubaer (Rajshahi). It's not clear to me how the authorities know the identities and aliases of all these men,know how many ballots it took to elect the thug-in-chief, and know they've swapped out their turbans and pj's for street clothes, and don't have any of them in custody...

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Bangladesh

Ex-Jamaat MP Nazrul sued again for extortion

2007-04-23

A second extortion case was filed yesterday against detained former Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam with Shyamnagar Police Station. Two other local Jamaat leaders -- Gazi Nazrul's private assistant (PA) Gausul Azam from Khanpur village and a Jamaat Rokon Mahfuzur Rahman from Nurnagar village in Shyamnagar upazila -- have also been accused in the case. Earlier on April 16, the other extortion case was filed against two local Jamaat leaders including the former Jamaat lawmaker with the same police station for their alleged involvement in extorting Tk 50,000 from SM Abdur Rashid of Chakbara village in Shyamnagar upazila. Gazi Nazrul Islam has already been detained by joint forces. His name was included in the second list of graft suspects published by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on March 9. Khaja Nazim Uddin, a shrimp cultivator from Gumantali village of the same upazila, lodged the extortion case accusing the three of demanding Tk 3 lakh from him in return for the possession of his shrimp enclosure that had been forcefully occupied by Mahfuzur Rahman and his Jamaat loyalist thugs. In his case statement, Khaja alleged that on April 22, 2006, a gang of criminals led by Mahfuzur Rahman raided and assaulted the staff members of his shrimp farm at Nidaya village in Shyamnagar upazila. The assailants drove everyone out and took over the farm. The next day, on April 23, then Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam through his PA Gausul Azam demanded Tk 3 lakh from him if he wanted the shrimp farm back. On April 24, 2006, being desperate to recover his farm, Khaja Nazim went to the former lawmaker's house at Islampur in Shyamnagar upazila and paid him Tk 2 lakh, Khaja said in the statement. Officer in Charge Nawsher Ali of Shyamnagar Police Station confirmed the incident. Gazi Nazrul Islam, central Majlish-e-Shura member of Jamaat-e-Islami, was elected member of parliament from Satkhira 5 (Shyamnagar) in 2001 with BNP-led 4-party alliance ticket.

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