The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested two active members of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam along with jihadi books from Chittagong.
They were arrested during a meeting at an abandoned house in Shikalbaha on Friday afternoon, said RAB-7 Senior Assistant Director (Media) Md Sharif-ul-Alam.
The arrestees are Md Asaduzzaman Asif, 22, from Panchagarh and Mohammad Ahad, 21, from Pabna.
Media Officer Mohammad Sharif-ul-Alam said that on May 23, the intelligence wing of RAB headquarters and a team of RAB-3 arrested three top members of Ansar Al-Islam in the Gulisthan and Signboard areas of the capital based on intelligence information.
During their interrogation, sensational information was revealed. When the activities of Ansar-Al-Islam were nearly halted by law enforcement, they created a new militant outfit called “Shahadat” (Ansar Al-Islam Ideology) to manage and continue their activities, including recruiting new members under the name of Ansar-Al-Islam. Besides recruiting new members, they also conducted invitational activities.
"The organization has over 100 members. They use various end-to-end encrypted messengers and mobile apps for communication. A mobile app called Bip has become quite popular among them and is being used as the main means of communication," he added.
He further said that through intelligence surveillance and information technology, it was discovered that the “Shahadat” group is managed by an expatriate named Salahuddin, who is currently abroad.
Other members of this group are located in different parts of the country, including Dhaka. Following this, the intelligence wing of RAB headquarters and a team of RAB-7 conducted raids and arrested the two members in Shikalbaha of Chittagong, he added.
