Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested seven members of a newly floated militant group, ‘Deen Force Extreme’, from Kazir Deuri area of the city on Friday,.
The arrestees were identified as Md Mahiuddin Tamim, 29, son of Md Nasir Uddin and a student of Premium University; Md Afzal Hossain, 21, son of Md Nur Hossain and a student of Chittagong University; Md Iman Khan, 27, son of Azad Nizamul Haque and a student of Open University; Daud Nabi Palash, 28, son of Md Ali Haidar and an assistant engineer of Premier Cement Mills in Chattogram; Chowdhury Mohammad Ridwan, 27, son of Shah Mohammad Zia Uddin Chowdhury and an expelled student of North South University; SM Zawad Zafar, 26, son of SM Zafar Uddin and an assistant executive of Young One Garment; and MD Muntasirul Meher, 26, son of Md Sadtul Meher and a field officer of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
At a press conference on Friday, Mimtanur Rahman, assistant director (media) of Rab-7, claimed that ‘Deen Force Extreme’ was associated with Middle East-based militant group Islamic State.
Being informed that members of a new militant group were trying to conduct militant activities secretly in Hafez Mohammad Waqf Stand mosque area, a Rab team conducted a drive there around 6pm on Friday and arrested the suspects, he said.
The elite force members also recovered huge books containing Islamic statements, three laptops and two motorcycles from their possession.
In primary interrogation, the arrestees confessed that they had been promoting Zihadi videos, including those of torture on Muslims in different countries, secretly through two WhatsApp groups – “Deen Force Extreme” and “Ikhwan”.
