RAB has arrested Arif Hossain, 27, a key leader of the banned organization Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and an active member of Dawat-e-Islami, from Sapahar upazila in Naogaon.
This information was disclosed in a press release sent from RAB-5 Joypurhat camp around 11:30pm on Wednesday.
Earlier in the afternoon, members of RAB-5 and RAB-2 conducted a joint operation in a mango orchard in Madhail area of the upazila and arrested him.
According to the press release, on July 22, 2017, JMB members including the arrested Arif met secretly to plan on carrying out sabotage activities in Mohammadpur area of Dhaka.
At that time, Arif fled upon realizing the presence of the law and order forces, but JMB members Sohaib Sheikh and Rafiqul Islam Rafiq were arrested along with a foreign pistol, a magazine full of two rounds of bullets, a sharp local weapon and various extremist books.
After interrogation of the arrested, it was revealed that several JMB members including Arif Hossain escaped. Later, Arif was arrested based on the information provided by them.
Later, when Arif was out on bail, the Anti-Terrorism Tribunal issued an arrest warrant against him. Since being granted bail in the case, Arif has been shifting his position repeatedly to avoid arrest by law enforcement agencies and has been secretly carrying on the activities of JMB.
The release also informed that since he escaped after getting bail, a team of RAB continued the process of arresting him. Following this, RAB-5 Joypurhat Camp and RAB-2 special attack team identified his location based on secret information.
After conducting a two-day sting operation, he was arrested on Wednesday from a mango orchard in Madheil area of Sapahar upazila and handed over to Sapahar police station for legal proceedings.
The press release also informed that the efforts to arrest other members of the banned organization JMB are ongoing after verification received from the arrested Arif.
