Militants in Bangladesh are reportedly using social networking site Facebook to recruit members for the international militant outfit Islamic State (IS), as well as disseminating promotional posts about the organisation.
The Detective Branch of police came up with the information following the arrest of Md Hifzur Rahman, a 22-year-old student of Sylhet’s Government Tibriya College, who claimed to be the chief of the Bangladesh unit of the Islamic State.
“Although the arrestee claimed to be the chief of the IS in Bangladesh, we are yet to find any proof that he had been able to establish any direct link or communication to the central committee of the IS,” said Joint Commissioner of DB Monriul Islam, following the arrest of Hifzur early yesterday.
“Based on information, members of Counter Terrorism and Trans-national Crimes unit of the DB arrested him in front of Surma Tower at Comrade Moni Singh Road in Purana Paltan,” Monirul told a press conference at the DMP’s Media and Community Centre.
Detectives were able to make the arrest after tracing the Facebook activities of Hifzur for a long time, the joint commissioner said, adding that Hifzur administrated a fan page titled “ISIS Bangladesh.”
Asked about the fan page, DB Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanwar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the page already had over 3,000 likes. The police were checking the identities of the users who liked the page as well determining their country of origin, he added.
Hifzur’s activities
Monirul said Hifzur had been an active Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) member only eight months ago, but was now carrying out propaganda and promotional activities for the IS through social media in order to persuade people to join the organisation’s cause.
The DB official added that during primary interrogation, Hifzur said he had been collecting members from across the country, especially in Sylhet and Habiganj, for expanding militant activities of his own group which would work to provide support to the IS.
Hifzur was also trying to secure funds from different sympathisers for sending his group members to Syria and Iraq to join the ongoing fighting of the IS. The police were now trying to trace the sponsors, the joint commissioner said, but added that more time was needed to extract details from the arrestee through further interrogation.
The police have found out about a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin who arrived in the country six months ago and had been providing funds for militancy and recruiting militants for the past few months, Monirul said.
“We are already working to track down his location and once we are able to catch him, we hope that a big breakthrough would be made about the financial support of militant organisation,” he said.
The police have also found proof that a number of British citizens of Bangladeshi origin have been working for the Islamic State, Monirul said, but added that it remained uncertain whether any Bangladeshi national had actually joined the terrorist group.
The police were also trying to find out the locations of suspects who had been in contact with Hifzur; these suspects included people from both Bangladesh and abroad, said the joint commissioner, who is presently working on anti-militancy activities.
Asked about the recent activities by militants, Monirul said local militants were trying to rise up again after the snatching of JMB members in Trishal as well as the recent release of a video message from the al-Qaeda chief. Their efforts were strengthened through secret meetings inside the Kashimpur Jail, where militant organisation Ansarullah Bangla Team decided to share its resources with the JMB.
Remand
Following Hifzur’s arrest, a case was filed with the Paltan police station by DB Sub-Inspector Shaikh Md Moniruzzaman. Later, DB Inspector Mostafizur Rahman, also the investigation officer of the case, placed Hifzur at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court seeking a seven-day remand. After the hearing, Metropolitan Magistrate Ataul Haque granted a four-day remand plea for the arrestee.
With Hifzur’s arrest, at least 13 members of JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team and Harkat-ul-Jihad have so far been arrested over the past week.
