Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested six members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam from Rupganj Upazila in Narayanganj district on Sunday.
The arrestees were identified as Abdur Razzak alias Ishak alias Saiba, 41, Shariful Islam alias Murad, 31, Ashikur Rahman alias Usaiman, 27, Muhammad Zakaria alias Abrar, 24, Al Amin alias Robin alias Samura, 24, and Abu Jor alias Maruf, 18.
Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of RAB’s law and media wing, said “According to the information provided by Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), a team of RAB-1 arrested them from Rupganj Upazila in Narayanganj on Sunday night.”
Abdur Razzak is the chief coordinator and head of the training branch of Ashulia, Savar, Gazipur, Manikganj and Mymensingh regions, he added.
RAB also seized several extremist books and other equipment from their possessions.
During the primary interrogation, the arrestees said they were members of the Ansar Al Islam, a banned militant outfit, and were inspired by the emergence of the Taliban and followed the philosophy of Al-Qaeda, said the RAB official.
For this purpose, they used to provide various extremist leaflets and videos torture on Muslims and speeches of various extremist leaders to the members of the organisation.
The arrestees also collected money from their relatives, madrasas, and other members by providing misleading information for running the activities of the organization
Commander Moin said they held secret meetings in mosques, houses, and other locations. They made regular contact with like-minded militants from neighbouring countries through social media and even sent some members to the neighbouring country illegally for training.
In 2015, Razzak joined the Ansar Al Islam after the top leaders of the Ansar Al Islam radicalised him. He lured more members to the organisation while pretending to have a different profession.
Later, he became the chief coordinator of the Ashulia, Savar, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Mymensingh divisions and headed the training department.
