Police’s elite force Rapid Action Battalion yesterday claimed to have traced a new militant outfit named Shahid Hamza Brigade in the port city, members of which have military training.
Each of its wings comprises seven members – all trained up as a “one man army.”
The group started operations in November 2013 by holding a meeting at a hotel near Foy’s Lake of the port city in a bid to support the tormented Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, Lt Col Mifta Uddin, commanding officer of RAB 7, told reporters at the battalion’s Chittagong headquarters.
They were planning to launch an armed revolution in greater Chittagong including the Chittagong Hill Tracts to protest against oppression of the Muslims across the world.
The information was gleaned from the four active members of the group, described as suppliers of arms and ammunition, arrested in a 24-hour-long drive since Sunday.
The elite force also found five AK22 rifles with 10 magazines, five foreign-made pistols with five magazines, a single barrel gun, a light gun, 3,668 rounds of different bullets, some smartphone sets, tabs and a motorcycle in their possession. Documents on techniques to evade arrest and intelligence surveillance were also found.
A number of members of the outfit were arrested earlier from Hathazari’s Alipur Madrasa, Lotmoni Hill of Banshkhali, and Halishahar Residential Area with a large amount of arms and ammunition in the last two months. “They are all linked to one other,” Mifta said.
The arrestees are Hamza Brigade leader Mozaher Hossain Mia, 35, of Satkania, and three members of its Green unit – Sabbir Ahmed alias Muhib, 23, Mohammad Kamal Uddin alias Mostafa, 24, and Ashraf Ali alias Adnan, 25.
“Acting on a tip-off, the elite force conducted a drive at Hotel Midtown in the city around 10:30am on Sunday and nabbed Mozaher and Sabbir when they were busy handing over some arms and ammunition,” Mifta said.
“The two others were arrested at Shyamoli Bus Counter of the city’s AK Khan Road area around 11:50pm while fleeing to Dhaka on hearing the arrest of Mozaher and Sabbir,” he added.
Most of the arms and ammunition were recovered from a cabinet at the residence of Masud Rana alias Fahad at Green Bangla Jahanara Apartment in the Panchlaish area based on information given by the arrestees.
Although the four arrestees were presented before the media, the reporters were not allowed to talk to them.
Members of the outfit used to get audio-visual training in the guise of Arabic coaching in different areas of Chittagong. Later they were given armed training in different remote hilly areas of the district, mainly in Banshkhali.
Col Mifta said they came to know about the outfit after conducting an investigation into the arrests of 12 people from Alipur, five from Lotmoni Hill and three from Halishahar in February.
“Primarily, we have received information about the involvement of 25 people with the outfit. Most of them have already been arrested while we are conducting drives to nab others.
“The outfit’s network is still limited in only Chittagong. But they used to collect members from different parts of the country. We are yet to find any link of the outfit with other local or international militant groups,” he added.
After busting a number of militant hideouts and arresting some members at that time, RAB and police said the banned Islamist outfits – JMB, Huji and Hizb ut-Tahrir – were regrouping in Chittagong to form a new state incorporating Chittagong, CHT, Cox’s Bazar and parts of the Myanmar and Indian border areas, with the help of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. It was also learnt that several members of the terrorist group Islamic State visited Chittagong last year to help the local militants.
Col Mifta said the Hamza Brigade was collecting members from poor Muslim families offering them benefits and inspiring them in armed revolution by showing them video footage of international militant groups.
The arrestees received special mental and psychical training so they become confident to act as a “one man army.” They were taught how to talk and walk among other daily chores. “They also have training to resist torture after arrest.”
The militants also received training in using and detonating grenades through the internet, he said, adding that they know how to avoid mobile tracking.
The Hamza Brigade has three separate military wings – blue, green and white. They had a plan to set up a media wing too. “Masud is the chief of the blue and green wings, Tareq is his second-in-command while Abdullah is chief of the media wing.”
Asked about the involvement of any army personnel with the outfit, Col Mifta said they did not learn of any such clue from the arrestees. “Moreover, the recovered arms are Chinese weapons which are not used by the Bangladesh Army. All these weapons were bought illegally.”
About their financiers, Col Mifta said: “We are yet to trace them. But we will soon inform Bangladesh Bank about checking their bank accounts. We have searched the bank accounts of the arrestees but there was no money. Basically, they collect money from Hundis [illegal money carriers].”
