Hizb ut-Tahrir planned more attacks in south

The machete attack on a Hindu college teacher in Madaripur, who used to perform religious rituals, was the first operation by banned extremist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir, police have said. It was also the first targeted attack perpetrated by militants in the southern part of the country. Having close ties to JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team and Islami Chhatra Shibir, the members of Hizb ut-Tahrir had planned more attacks on “soft targets” in the region after Nazimuddin College teacher Ripon Chakrabarty. They later wanted to kill the wife of a senior police officer in the district, and had plans to move towards Barisal for the next target, Superintendent of Police Sarowar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, based on information gleaned from Ghulam Faizullah Fahim, a Hizb ut-Tahrir member killed in an alleged gunfight with the police. Fahim was one of the three attackers who hacked Ripon at his house on Wednesday and later caught by locals. “These militants are now targeting the people who cannot resist an armed attack on them and cannot even think that they can be killed by someone. Moreover, the extremists choose places considering frequency of police vigilance,” the SP said. There is not activity of JMB in the southern part of the country as they are strong in the northern districts, especially Rajshahi and adjoining districts, and Chittagong region. On the other hand, Ansarullah has a strong presence in Dhaka and nearby areas. “So they sent the Hizb ut-Tahrir men to the southern part to establish their supremacy here,” Sanwar added. Asked about Fahim’s militant connection, the official said that he admitted that he was a Hizb ut-Tahrir member and had good relation with a number of leaders of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). “We have also found his previous involvement with Islami Chhatra Shibir,” the SP said. Chhatra Shibir, the radical student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, has been accused of a number of murders at different educational institutions including some teachers of Rajshahi University. Many leaders and activists of Chhatra Shibir have joined JMB, Hizb ut-Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team to wage armed jihad, police said. Two intelligence reports recently said that over 100 members of the outlawed group had taken training to wage an armed revolution together with some members of Islami Chhatra Shibir. Moreover, some 450 leaders and activists of the organisation have remained absconding after getting bail. The reports suggest that its members were also involved in the recent targeted killings of secularists, LGBT rights activists and religious minorities. Hizb ut-Tahrir members were not found involved in any armed attack before the one in Madaripur. But they have frequently been urging the armed forces to oust the government while asking the Muslims to join the war to establish Caliphate. In December 2011, some senior army officers linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir attempted a coup in the army. On Friday, the group demonstrated at different parts of the country and urged the Muslims to wage an all-out movement to oust the government and establish Caliphate. At least 21 members of the outlawed group were arrested during the recent crackdown from June 10-17. Detectives say Hizb ut-Tahrir is now funding the families of their members who are directly taking part in the targeted attacks. They recruit new members saying that they have good connection with other countries since it is an international organisation, and officials in the administration, law enforcement agencies and courts. SP Sarowar said that the targeted killings were not limited to any particular militant group. “All the militant groups have joined hand with each other and started a combined operation only to prove their existence in Bangladesh. Their aim is the same – establishing Islamic rule in the country.” He said that they had got some clue interrogating Fahim, but those information need to be scrutinised extensively as “he lied to use on many issues.” Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and transnational crimes unit (CTTC), told the Dhaka Tribune that in the recent times, they had found the involvement of Ansarullah and JMB behind all the target killings. “But after bringing Fahim to the capital for raids, we have also found his link to JMB. He was previously a member of Chhatra Shibir,” Monirul said yesterday, adding that the law enforcers had already started gathering information about Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders and dens after the attack in Madaripur.