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Bangladesh

Some politicians helped Lashkar put down roots

2009-08-11

[Bangla Daily Star] Besides the local chapter of Huji, some political leaders have been helping Pakistan-based militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to operate in Bangladesh. Investigators learned about the political patrons from two recently-detained LeT operatives and Indian nationals--Mufti Obaidullah and Moulana Mohammad Mansur Ali. They are now working to gather more about them, said sources in the intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Officials involved in the ongoing crackdown on militants said they have information that some politicians might have been sheltering LeT cadres as per secret deals with the terrorist group. Though law enforcers had detained several LeT operatives in the past, they formally admitted the outfit's existence here only last month after the Detective Branch of police arrested Obaidullah and Mansur. Before that, they had been denying reports about foreign militants ensconced in the country. A former investigator of the Rapid Action Battalion told these correspondents earlier that they had come to know about the existence of LeT and at least seven of its political patrons in Bangladesh during the last BNP-Jamaat-led government rule. But they could not carry the investigation through as they had limitations with the four-party alliance in power. Sources said investigators are confirmed that banned Islamist outfit Harkatul-Jihad-al Islami, Bangladesh, has all along been backing LeT operations here. The local political links became a focus of the investigation after names of some political leaders came up during interrogations of the detained Lashkar men. DB Deputy Commissioner Monirul Islam who leads the agency's drive against militancy said, "We are now verifying the information and names we've got from the detained Lashkar leaders." He, however, would not say anything about identity of the political leaders suspected of aiding and abetting LeT in Bangladesh. Sources close to DB say some of the suspects are local level leaders of a political party and some are quite prominent at national level. Investigators would also examine if any of the political patrons of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh are involved in any foreign militant organisation like LeT. The law enforcers hope they will be able to make headway towards unearthing the LeT's political patrons once they capture some other Lashkar men in the country. Mufti Obaidullah and Moulana Mansur meantime disclosed that their organisation has been active in Bangladesh for the last 14 years. They also said local LeT operatives have links to the network of absconding Indian underworld don Daud Ibrahim and Huji Bangladesh leaders. Both the detainees had been teaching at local madrasas since their illegal entrance to Bangladesh in 1995. "Obaidullah had been organising Bangladeshi youths for jihad on instructions from Ameer Reza, an Indian holed up in Pakistan," DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque told newsmen after Obaidullah's arrest. Talking to reporters while being paraded before the media, Obaidullah said four other most wanted Indians are also hiding in Bangladesh. Following up information obtained from him, DB police arrested LeT leader Mansur Ali from Dakkhin Khan area in the capital on July 22. Mansur told reporters at the DMP headquarters that he had close relations with local Huji top brass including Mufti Hannan, Abdur Rouf, Abu Taher and Sheikh Abdus Salam

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Bangladesh

Laskar leader used 6 mobiles for links

2009-07-19

[Bangla Daily Star] Detained Mufti Obaidullah, one of the most wanted Laskar-e-Taiyeba leaders in India, used six mobile phones and had regular contact with Ameer Reza, chief of Asif Reza Commando Force (ARCF) working with the Pakistan-based Islamist militant outfit, said Detective Branch (DB) of police sources. Obaidullah on Friday told The Daily Star at the DB headquarters that he knew Ameer Reza quite well. He had close relations with Ameer's brother Asif Reza, the founder of ARCF, who was killed in an encounter with law enforcers in Gujarat in 2001, said Obaidullah, who is fluent in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and Persian languages. DB officials said Obaidullah sent SMS to Ameer Reza and others in Pakistan in Persian language using English alphabets. Meanwhile, Obaidullah, a madrasa teacher at Shibchar in Madaripur, was placed on a seven-day remand after DB police produced him before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court with a 10-day remand prayer. Deputy Commissioner Monirul Islam of DB (South) told The Daily Star, "The call lists of the mobile phones used by Obaidullah show that he made calls to Pakistan regularly and often to India. He talked to Ameer Reza every day over the phone. But we are yet to find out the subjects of their conversation." DB sources said there is a strong possibility that Laskar-e-Taiyeba, ARCF, Harkatul Jihad al Islami Bangladesh (Huji), and international mafia don Dawood Ibrahim's network are interconnected. Picked right up on that, didn't they? Obaidullah's immediate boss and Laskar-e-Taiyeba leader Mansur Ali alias Habibullah, another senior leader and Pakistani national Khurram Khoiyam, and two other leaders of the militant outfit are still holed up in Bangladesh, said sources. They entered Bangladesh illegally at least three years before Obaidullah intruded into the country, added sources. DB officials said they have been trying to track down the four most wanted Laskar-e-Taiyeba leaders in India. However, they suspect that Mansur Ali and Habibullah are two different persons. All of them receive financial supports from India, DB sources said. In this case that should likely read "entities within India"... Monirul said, "He got Tk 7,000 as monthly salary from the madrasa. It is quite impossible to meet the expenditure of a seven-member family and six mobile phones." Quoting Obaidullah, DB officials said his organisation has a firm footing at Shibchar in Madaripur, Srinagar in Munshiganj and Nababganj in the capital with a good number of 'Jihadis' (militants) at the madrasas there. Laskar-e-Taiyeba has been active in Bangladesh for the last 14 years, said intelligence sources quoting Obaidullah. He was organising Bangladeshi 'mujahids' to wage 'jihad' following the directives from Ameer Reza, said the sources. Obaidullah took part in Afghan conflicts four times. Besides, he carried out militant activities in India with the help of Islamist militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obaidullah took part in Afghan conflicts four times. Besides, he carried out militant activities in India with the help of Islamist militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also collaborated with Islamist militants from Kashmir, Banaras, Punjab, and Hyderabad in India. He entered Bangladesh illegally in June, 1995 to evade arrest after the Indian government declared him most wanted in 1994. DB identified Obaidullah on the basis of confessions of detained Indian national Dawood Merchant, a close aide to Dawood Ibrahim and one of the main accused in music baron Gulshan Kumar murder case. Dawood Merchant and his associate Zahid Sheikh, also an Indian national, were arrested in Bangladesh about one and a half months ago. Obaidullah had been teaching at Jamiatul Sunnah Madrasa of Shibchar upazila in Madaripur since 2003. Earlier, he taught at different madrasas in Jessore, Moulvibazar and also at Nawabganj in Dhaka using fake name Abu Zafar. Our Madaripur correspondent adds: The authorities of Jamiatul Sunnah Madrasa yesterday terminated Obaidullah from his post and expelled his son Matiur who was studying at the institution. Hussain Ahmed, principal of the madrasa, said the decision was taken after authorities became sure about the identity of Obaidullah and his son. Obaidullah's wife Nasima Begum said her husband made frequent trips abroad in the name of attending religious function. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibchar Police Station Abdul Jalil said intelligence vigilance has been strengthened to monitor the activities of all madrasas in the area.

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Bangladesh

Laskar-e-Taiba active in Bangladesh for 14 years

2009-07-18

[Bangla Daily Star] Pakistan based Islamist terrorist organisation Laskar-e-Taiba has been active in Bangladesh for the last 14 years, intelligence sources said quoting one of the most wanted Indian terrorists recently captured here. Local leaders of the organisation have links to the network of absconding Indian mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, and also to leaders of other Islamist militant organisations like Harkatul Jihad al Islami Bangladesh (HuJi), the sources added. The Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday disclosed that they recently arrested an Indian national who is very much close to Laskar-e-Taiyeba, and also one of the most wanted by the Indian law enforcing and intelligence agencies. Congratulations! Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque said the arrestee is identified as Mufti Obaidullah, who has been staying in the country since 1995. -"He was arrested from the capital , and was taking preparations for a jihad by organising Bangladeshi mujahids with directives from Ameer Reza, a leader of Kashmir based Laskar-e-Taiyeba, who is an Indian national now staying in Pakistan," the DMP commissioner said. Obaidullah took part in Afghan conflicts four times. Besides, he was active in militancy in India, in collaboration with militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also collaborated with Islamist militants of Kashmir, Benaras, Punjab, and Hyderabad in India, said the DMP commissioner adding that Obaidullah came to Bangladesh to evade Indian intelligence after the government of that country in 1994 had declared him one of the most wanted. Clearly the good mufti is a very, very bad man. DB sources said a team led by Deputy Police Commissioner Monirul Islam of DB-North identified the Indian terrorist on the basis of confessions made by another detained Indian national Daud Merchant, a close aide to Daud Ibrahim and one of the main accused in the killing of music baron Gulshan Kumer. Daud Merchant and his associate Zahid Sheikh, who is also an Indian, were arrested in Bangladesh a month and a half ago. According to the sources, Mufti Obaidullah has a PhD degree on fatwa from Deobandh Madrasa in India, and he was a teacher at Jamiatul Sunnah Madrasa of Shibchar upazila in Madaripur since 2003. But we all know what PhD means, and what PhDs know. ("Piled higher and deeper." and "More and more about less and less until they know absolutely everything about nothing at all"). In June 1995 he came to Bangladesh, took up a fake name, Abu Zafar, and started teaching in different madrasas in Monirampur of Jessore, in Shrimangal of Moulvibazar, and at Tikirpur Jamia Mahmudia Madrasa in Nawabganj of Dhaka. He took part in the previous Afghan war in 1988 while he was a student. In 1990, he took part in the ensuing Afghan conflict for the second time, when he was trained in operating a wide range of light and heavy weapons like machinegun, anti-aircraft gun, BM-50 canon, rocket launcher, and mortar. In 1991, he re-joined the conflict for the third time and visited various war camps as a veteran fighter. Finally in 1992 he took part in that ever morphing conflict for the last time. Talking to reporters yesterday in detention, Obaidullah said he came to Bangladesh only to hide, and brought his family into the country later. He admitted that he is one of the most wanted in India, and said four other most wanted Indians are also hiding in Bangladesh. "In 1994, Indian commandos went to West Bengal from Delhi by helicopters to arrest me, but I managed to evade arrest and later left India," Obaidullah added. He said he knows many leaders of Bangladeshi Islamist terrorist groups, but denied carrying out any militant activity in the country. He however did admit to being active in the Islamist terrorist movement in India. He also said he has a number of friends and well wishers in the country who are former students of Deobandh Madrasa. He also managed to get a Bangladeshi national identity card, and cast votes in several elections, Obaidullah said. The ACORN people will be mad with jealousy when they hear about him.

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