Banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team, allegedly involved in killing bloggers and secular writers, has been planning large-scale attacks on major establishments in Bangladesh, investigators claim.
Documents, outlining possible future attacks, were seized during raids on Ansarullah hideouts at Badda and Mohammadpur by newly-formed Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CT) and the Detective Branch, CT chief Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam said.
On Friday, police arrested suspected Ansarullah members Kalam alias Shahin alias Jamal, 26, and Shah Alam alias Salahuddin alias Hiron, 30, in Badda. A Dhaka court yesterday granted police five days to interrogate them.
“We have already gleaned important information from them,” Monirul said.
Based on information provided by the two, the joint team raided a flat in Nabodoy housing in Mohammadpur and recovered a huge cache of bombs and explosives.
Monirul skirted a direct reply to a specific question about the militant group’s possible targets. “Our primary investigation found that the seized explosives might have been used to bring down a number of important establishments,” he told the Dhaka Tribune, without specifying.
He dubbed the joint team’s 30-hour raid on Ansarullah dens in Badda and Mohammadpur “the most successful counter-terrorism drive”, claiming that it had foiled the militant outfit’s sabotage plans.
“Most of the Ansarullah leaders and members are on the run,” the police officer said. “I hope the militant outfit will never be able to carry out subversive activities.”