Following the recent arrest of a number of leaders and members of old, new and hybrid militant groups in Chittagong as well as across the country, investigators have found that most of those outfits are funded by foreign organisations and individuals.
In some cases, the funds come for establishing mosques and madrasas, or as aid to so-called NGOs working for the welfare of persecuted Muslims, mainly the Rohingyas living in peril in the country’s southern part, police said.
On the other hand, coordinators of international militant groups visit the country, holds meeting with the militant leaders and hand over money themselves.
The militant outfits are taking advantage of the ordinary Muslims while recruiting new members. They try to convince the youths, mostly from poor families or the Rohingyas, by saying that their activities are meant for pleasing the Almighty and saving the religion from the clutches of anti-Islam quarters.
Some members of Jamaat-e-Islami’s radical student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir are also involved with the militant groups, police said.
Maj (retd) Emdadul Islam, a security expert based in the port city, said that the ministries concerned should strictly monitor money transaction by foreign organisations and individuals. Moreover, visas must be issued only after tight scrutiny.
Different law enforcement agencies including DB police and elite force Rapid Action Battalion are working to identify the militant outfits, their masterminds and financiers.
Given the rise of militant activities, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police have decided to reshuffle its anti-militancy cell, Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mandal told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“Islamist militant activities have now spread across India and Bangladesh from Pakistan and Afghanistan as the ordinary Muslims of this region are blind about Islam.”
He thinks that the spread of the militant and radical outfits can be prevented through proper education on religion. “On the other hand, the authorities should strictly monitor suspected bank transactions,” the CMP commissioner added.
The three Supreme Court lawyers including the daughter of a former BNP whip arrested last week for their suspected link to newly-discovered militant outfit Shahid Hamza Brigade have confessed to channelling Tk1.08 crore to five accounts of the group.
At least 27 other members out of 29, most of who are former members of Chhatra Shibir, also admitted that the three were involved with Hamza Brigade.
Investigators have also found that a Dubai-based person named Allama Libdi also financed the group during his visits to Chittagong.
RAB 7 has found that with the money, Hamza Brigade purchased at least 25 sophisticated local and foreign-made arms including eight AK22 rifles, 4443 rounds of bullets, 76 powerful bombs, 150kg explosives, and 30 types of bomb-making materials with which around 2,000 bombs can be made. The law enforcers also recovered audio-visual training materials and jihadi documents from the dens busted in Chittagong region since February.
The elite force is now interrogating the arrestees to learn about the other financiers. The chief of Hamza Brigade is believed to have fled to Malaysia.
In November last year, the Detective Branch of police nabbed Myanmar sectarian outfit Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) Bangladesh Chapter’s top leaders Salamatullah and Shafiullah, also an Awami League leader of Naikkhyangchhari upazila in Bandarban; and Global Rohingya Centre (GRC) Vice-President Mohammad Alam, also a Pakistani national, among five for funding militant groups.
Several CMP officials seeking anonymity said that the Bangladesh wing of RSO had been split over share of foreign funds. Before the arrest, the militants were distributing funds among them for donations to mosques, madrasas and providing other facilities for the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Majid confessed that they visited many countries especially Thailand, India, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey last year to collect funds for the Rohingyas.
In an investigation last year, Dhaka Tribune found that from London, a Pakistan national had sent 1.5m pound sterling (about Tk20 crore in Bangladeshi currency) to a bank account in Chittagong. The account was opened using forged signatures of the members of Maizvandar Sharif Shah-e-Jame Mosjid Directors and Development Committee.
Committee President Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandari, also a lawmaker of Fatikchhari, said that they had taken legal action against two members of the committee for forging signatures and inspiring radical Muslims.
Also chairman of Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, Nazibul said that the case was under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Meanwhile, after the arrest of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh’s Chittagong district Commander Ershad Hossain alias Mamun on March 23, detectives said that the members of outlawed militant groups – JMB, HujiB, Hizb-ut Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team – were working in concert to establish an Islamic state with the help of international terrorist group Islamic State by 2020.
To implement their agenda, four IS members visited Chittagong in October last year and sat with the top leaders of the four banned outfits.
