Intelligence surveillance has been stepped up across the country, especially in remote areas, to collect advance information about regrouping of banned religious outfit.
The move was taken after militants ambushed a prison van and snatched away three condemned convicts of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Trishal upazila in Mymensingh last Sunday morning.
The snatched convicts were Salahuddin alias Salehin, JMB in-charge of Sylhet-Mymensingh region; Mohammad Rakib Hasan Russell alias Hafez Mahmud, Khulna divisional commander of JMB; and Zahidul Islam alias ‘Boma’ Mizan, an explosives expert of the outlawed group.
According to sources, militants of banned religious outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami (HuJi) have started regrouping in the city and in the remote villages.
The rapid Action battalion (RAB) has already detected several arms training place of JMB. The members of different law enforcement agencies, particularly RAB have been asked to remain alert in the urban as well as in the remote villages. Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman, Director of the Legal and Media Wing of RAB told The New Nation on Wednesday evening that several teams of RAB are hunting the fugitive JMB men.
“We have information that the militants are trying to reorganize their groups under different name. Following the information, we have successfully been able to contain their activities by arresting their leaders, he added. Referring to their success in containing militancy, Habibur Rahman, said they have so far arrested 1085 members of 13 militant groups, mainly of JMB, Huji and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
Of them 585 militants with seven top leaders belong to JMB, 72 to Huji, 144 to Hizb-ut Tawhid, 229 to Hizb-ut Tahrir, eight each to Joes-e- Mohammad and Allahar Dal, six each to Islam and Muslim and Lashkar-e- Taiba, two to Khelafat Majlish, 10 to Tasauf Mahal, 11 to Jamaat-e-Islam, three to BEM and one to Hizbul Mujahideen.
The organisational activities of the JMB suffered a setback following the arrest of its chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, Ataur Rahman Sunny, Abdul Awal, Khaled Saifullah and Salahuddin and execution of their death sentences while Harkatul Jihad with arrest of Maulana Abdul Hannan.
RAB have seized 204 grenades, 1811 kilograms of explosive, 78 firearms, 2,929 rounds of bullets, 9018 detonators, 624 grenade bodies and a huge quantity of religious books from their possessions.
Five religious militant groups have so far been banned since 2005. Hizb-ut-Tahrir was banned on October 22, 2009, Shahadat-e- al Hikma on February 9, 2003; JMB and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) on February 23, 2005 and Harkat-ul Jihad al- Islami (Huji) on October 17, 2005.
RAB also seized a huge stash of ammunition, explosives and “jihadi” publications from their possession, in different time.
