Jamaat-Shibir collecting military grade weapons

Terrorists of the war crime stigma-bearing Jamaat-Shibir are allegedly collecting military-grade weapons to carry out deadly attacks in the capital Dhaka and its adjacent areas.

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), an elite unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), has recently unearthed the secret plan of the radical political party.

This information was revealed when a team of CTTC led by Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Jahangir Alam, head of the Arms Enforcement Team of the Special Action Group under the CTTC, arrested two cadres of BNP-Jamaat from in front of Rajdhani Super Market in the city’s Wari area on June 30.

The arrested have been identified as Md Saidul Islam Majumder, 30, son of Md Rafiqul Islam Majumder and Md Kamal Hossain,35, son of Soruj Miah, both hailing from Shuvopur Madhyapara under Kotwali Police Station of Cumilla district.

Local sources confirmed the claim of CTTC officials about the direct Jamaat-BNP links of the arrested criminals and the absconding terror in connection with the arms recovery.

Talking to Bangladesh Post exclusively, ADC Jahangir said, “We seized an automatic firearm. It was AK-22, a highly sophisticated weapon. This type of weapon was used by the Holey Artisan attackers three years back.”

No law enforcing agencies of our country are currently using the AK-22. Till now, we have not found any militant links with the latest recovery of AK-22, he added.

According to our investigation so far, two leaders of Jamaat-Shibir were the customers of the recovered sub-machine gun, he further said.

According to the court documents, Md Hasib, 33, son of Md LiluMiah, hailing from Shuvopur Madhyapara, under Kotwali Police Station of Cumilla district, and Kazi Golam Kibriya, ward councillor of Cumilla City Corporation were present at the spot to buy the military graded fire arms.

Md Babul Uddin, hailing from Alam Mansion at Jalal Commissioner Lane of Double Mooring Police Station of Chattogram, Sadek Ahmed, hailing from Sholok Bohor under Chawkbazar of Chattogram were also present to hand over the arms to the BNP-Jamaat cadres. However, sensing presence of CTTC, they managed to escape.

Jamaat top cadre Hasib and Jamaat leaders Kazi Golam Kibriya were the actual buyers. They came to the capital to buy the arms from arms dealers Sadek and Babul Miah.

CTTC officials came to know that absconding Hasib was once bodyguard of former Jamaat backed parliamentarian Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher of the Cumilla-12 constituency.

Political sources said, earlier he was the secretary general and president of Jamaat -backed student organization Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS). 

On January 2 in 2013, he was arrested by RAB personnel, in connection with various allegations, including arson attacks, attacks on law enforcers and conspiracy to oust the elected government. On March 7 in 2007, he was also arrested by the Army led joint forces on allegations of extortion, looting and grabbing during the tenure of the military backed caretaker government.

Hasib is accused in at least seven cases including for arson attacks, attacks on police. Bomb was blasted while making bombs. In the incident, his five fingers of one hand were blown off. As a result, permanently he lost his ability to ride motorbike.  He is always accompanied by his two body guards. He always moves with them on motorbikes driven by his accomplices.

During the primary interrogation, CTTC officials came to know that Hasib and Kazi Golam Kibriya were collecting the sub-machine gun following the organizational decision of their party Jamaat.

Two sub-machine guns were already handed over to them by the same arms dealers, which is very alarming. Though Jamaat-BNP is not in the streets with any violent programmes, in they are allegedly collecting heavy arms and ammunition. 

Intelligence agencies suspect that Jamaat-Shibir are secretly enhancing their strength to carry out various deadly attacks.

After the execution of five top brass Jamaat leaders for their heinous crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971, many Jamaat-Shibir leaders had proposed their policymakers launch underground politics. 

Though the cunning Jamaat leaders did not publicly agree on the issue of underground politics against the current government, they might have signalled their arms cadres to collect heavy arms and ammunition to fight against law enforcers and ruling party leaders as revenge for the Jamaat leaders' execution.

ADC Jahangir clearly said, “This type of heavy weapon is never used by any local criminal groups for their criminal activities. Local politicians also do not use these heavy weapon to establish political supremacy in their areas.”

These military graded weapons can be used only for major terrorist attacks against law enforcers and against any targeted government high ups.

About the destructive power of the AK-22, ADC Jahangir said, “Since it is a semi –automatic weapon, one can use both, single shot or brush fire.”

The AK-22 is a very compact type of fire arm and one can carry it inside a small bag or even under loose clothing.

About the manufacturing country of the weapon, ADC Jahangir said, “Through there was a text on the arms which read that it was made in China, but we are not confirmed.“

Responding to a question, he said, “The seized AK-22 might be have been smuggled through Myanmar or Indian border.”

If we can arrest Hasib and Kazi Golam Kibriya, we shall able to get details on interrogating them, ADC Jahangir said.

According to the websites of the Institute for Conflict Management, Shibir is also reported to be maintaining close links with various terrorist outfits operating in South Asia and Afghanistan. 

Shibir had been ranked 3rd in the list of 10 non-state armed groups active worldwide in 2013. It has been listed under ‘IHS Jane’s 2013 Global Terrorism and Insurgency Attack Index’ set by IHS, known for delivering comprehensive and reliable open-source terrorism and insurgency intelligence, based in US.

IHS Jane reported that during 2013, Islami Chhatra Shibir committed around 492 armed attacks on people and policemen which took lives of 172 people.

The grassroots followers of Jamaat are joining the Islamic State, the Middle-East-based group has claimed.

On April 2016, Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, the so-called chief of IS fighters in Bangladesh, has made the claim in an interview to the latest issue of its propaganda magazine Dabiq.