The crime busting elite force Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] has thwarted a plan of banned Islamist militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team to attack high security Kashimpur Jail to bring out their imprisoned co-workers, including top-ranking philosophical leader Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani.
Two operatives of the terrorist group, Rashedul Islam alias Swapan,25, and Biplob Hossain alias Hujaifa, 33, who were netted by the RAB on Friday late night from Gazipur crossing, divulged the information to the law enforcers during first-round interrogation, officials said on Saturday. RAB also recovered knives and jihadi books from their possession.
“The Gazipur coordinator of ABT Rashedul Islam alias Swapan took the plan attack Kashimpur Jail. They had planned to bring out Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani along with other accomplices,” Commander of RAB -1, Lieutenant Colonel Tuhin Mohammad Masud, said yesterday.
Mufti Rahmani at present has been facing imprisonment in the murder case of blogger and freethinker Rajib Haider Shovan. There are several other cases against him. The commander of military wing of ABT [led by Rahmani] is Major [terminated] Ziaul Haque, who is on run after a failed coup attempt.
“At present, the ABT is working to collect about 10 lakh members for strengthening the organization. In this process, they are using different internet applications, including facebook and twitter. So far as we know, the terrorist outfit has some ‘sleeper cells’ in Gazipur area. They are now active in different areas separately,” he elaborated.
The RAB official further said that Swapan also divulged them several other important information, especially a top secret plan to eliminate a number of key personalities. “To carry out the plan, they have bought a huge quantity of arms-ammunition from Jessore worth about Tk 10 lakh. Sawpan and his accomplices were trying to coordinate some other groups active in the area and waiting for a chance,” Lt Col Masud said.
“There are several women physicians in the terror outfit, who provide financial assistance to the ABT. Just now, we’ve got specific information about two women members of the terror group. We are conducting operation to nab the female operatives,” he said quoting the statement of detainees.
According to RAB, the ABT is now conducting terror activities in Bangladesh in line with the ideological spirit of international terrorist outfit al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent [AQIS]. Swapan became interested about ABT in 2014 being inspired by the lectures of Rahmani through internet.
He got entangled with ABT through one Abdul Quddus and established a connection with Dhaka divisional coordinator of ABT Md Abbas. Later, he [Swapan ] became recruiter of the organization.
RAB officials said that the ABT was working to snatch away Rahmani and his associates like three Jama’atul Mujahedin Bangladesh [JMB] leaders who were snatched away by their co-workers two years ago.
On February 23, 2014, an armed gang ambushed a prison van and snatched away three convicted JMB militants — two of them on death row — in Trishal upazila of Mymensingh. Police, however, captured one of the trio from Shakhipur of Tangail while he was fleeing on a three-wheeler, about five hours after the incident.
A police constable named Atiqul Islam was killed as the gang of 10-15, all masked, opened fire and hurled crude bombs at the prison van at Signboard point of Aminabari area. The attack on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway took place when the van carrying the three was going to Mymensingh to produce them before a court in a sedition case.
The convicts of the JMB were Rakib Hasan Russell alias Hafez Mahmud, Salauddin Ahmed alias Salehin and Zahidul Islam alias “Boma” Mizan. Rakib and Salauddin were sentenced to death and “Boma” Mizan to 37 years in prison in different cases.
