The United Nations has warned that extremists are attempting to establish small, clandestine cells in Bangladesh, but police say they have no information about such efforts.
Senior counterterrorism officials have also declined to comment on the matter. However, a series of bomb and explosive recoveries in and around Dhaka in recent weeks has prompted authorities to increase vigilance. Field-level police have reportedly been instructed to remain on high alert, while intelligence surveillance has been strengthened.
The warning comes amid renewed concerns about extremism in Bangladesh. A United Nations Security Council sanctions monitoring team has said Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is seeking to use Bangladesh to establish small, secret cells.
The UN has not said that AQIS has established a base in Bangladesh, nor has it identified the location of any active cells. Analysts therefore view the assessment as an early warning of a potential security threat.
What is a ‘cell’?
Rather than operating from a large, centralised base, an extremist cell is typically a small, isolated and dispersed network, often referred to as a sleeper cell.
According to the UN report, AQIS is attempting to use Bangladesh to establish such cells as part of efforts to expand its logistical and financial networks.
The warning comes about three and a half months after senior government officials said there was no extremist activity in Bangladesh. At the same time, the recovery of bombs and explosives from Dhaka and other areas in recent weeks has prompted police to increase vigilance, intelligence surveillance and anti-extremism and counterterrorism activities at the field level.
What the UN report says
The 38th report of the United Nations Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team describes AQIS as an evolving regional terrorist organisation in South Asia.
According to the report, AQIS is seeking to transform itself from a relatively isolated organisation into a regional network by developing logistical and financial links. It is increasingly prioritising small, dispersed and decentralised cells over large units.
The report also links the November 2025 attack on Delhi’s Red Fort to AQIS.
In the context of Bangladesh, the report expresses concern over attempts to establish cells using the country’s territory. However, it does not identify any specific AQIS base in Bangladesh or disclose the location or number of members of any active cell.
In other words, the report does not announce the existence of an established AQIS base in Bangladesh. Rather, it constitutes an advance intelligence warning or threat assessment. Therefore, it would be more accurate to refer to UN concerns over attempts to establish cells than to claim that Al-Qaeda has established bases in Bangladesh.
Government previously said ‘there is no extremism’
The UN assessment contrasts with recent statements by Bangladesh authorities.
On April 28, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said there was currently no extremist activity in the country. He also said he did not accept the term “extremism”, arguing that it had been used for political purposes in the past. However, he acknowledged that Bangladesh, like other countries, could have extremist or hardline elements.
The government’s actions, meanwhile, indicate continued concern over terrorism and extremism.
On May 24, the home minister inspected the activities of the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit and stressed the need to strengthen the ATU’s operational capacity, modernise its operations and expand technology-based activities to combat extremism and terrorism.
The government was also reported to be working on a modern, integrated law and order system. The ATU and CTTC were later merged to form the Special Security Unit (SSU), which is reportedly in the final stages of formation.
‘No reason to assume extremism has been eradicated’
Human rights activist Nur Khan Liton has urged authorities to take the UN’s concerns over AQIS attempts to establish cells in Bangladesh seriously.
He said there was no reason to assume that extremism had been completely eradicated, while stressing that law enforcement agencies must maintain vigilance and professionalism in counterterrorism operations.
“All things considered, the situation does not look very good. Our first warning should be that there is no reason to think extremism has been completely eradicated. In the current situation, there may be a risk of not only extremist religious groups emerging, but any type of extremist group,” Nur Khan said.
At the same time, he said law enforcement agencies must ensure that counterterrorism operations do not involve human rights violations that could allow suspects to portray themselves as victims.
He also questioned the credibility of some past counterterrorism operations in which leaflets or pamphlets were reportedly recovered alongside bombs or explosives.
“In the past, we have seen many incidents where leaflets or pamphlets were recovered from the same place as bombs or explosives. The question is, would people preparing for armed or terrorist activities also prepare 50, 100 or 200 leaflets along with explosives in the same place?” he said.
According to Nur Khan, such recurring narratives can create doubts among the public about the credibility of counterterrorism operations.
He stressed the importance of following lawful and credible procedures in collecting evidence, making arrests and recovering weapons or explosives.
“Extremists must be dealt with in such a way that they do not become victims of human rights violations in any way. If the methods used in an operation are questioned, a potential culprit can end up being portrayed as a victim. This mistake has been repeated in the past. Law enforcement agencies must be very careful in this area,” he said.
Nur Khan also referred to allegations surrounding past arrests and operations, including claims that drugs were planted on suspects and that extremist leaflets were routinely recovered alongside explosives.
“If such a narrative is not based on credible evidence, the entire operation becomes questionable,” he said.
He said authorities should neither dismiss the threat of extremism nor resort to questionable or rights-violating tactics in response.
“The threat must be dealt with seriously. But it must be done in accordance with the law, on the basis of acceptable evidence and in such a way that the real criminal cannot take advantage of mistakes by law enforcement agencies and present himself as a victim,” he said.
What are police doing now?
The recovery of bombs and explosives in several parts of the country around the time of the UN report has raised concerns among law enforcement agencies.
Against this backdrop, intelligence surveillance has been strengthened to prevent extremist activities, while field-level police have been instructed to remain on high alert.
IGP Md Ali Hossain Fakir and DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed issued the instructions on Thursday.
A meeting ordered the establishment of security posts, searches of suspicious people and vehicles, increased patrols and closer monitoring of the movements of suspicious individuals and groups.
Authorities were also instructed to strengthen beat and community policing and ensure the safety of police personnel and vehicles.
Senior police officials believe the recent incidents have created additional challenges for maintaining law and order. Field-level police have been asked to remain particularly vigilant to prevent anyone from planting bombs or explosives.
Additional IGP Khondaker Rafiqul Islam told Bangla Tribune that police had no information about any attempt by AQIS to establish a cell in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Shamsul Haque, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit and an additional police commissioner of DMP, declined to comment on the UN assessment.
“This is a state matter. It would not be appropriate to comment on this matter,” he said.
However, at a DMP Media Centre press conference on July 27, Shamsul Haque said there was currently no threat of rising extremism in the country. He said round-the-clock surveillance was being conducted through online monitoring, social media, intelligence information and police databases to prevent extremist activities.
Police and other law enforcement agencies have yet to establish whether AQIS has any connection to the recent recovery of bombs and explosives.
Analysts therefore caution against directly linking the UN assessment to the recent incidents without further evidence.
