‘Neo JMB’ man who attempted to visit Syria held in Dhaka: Police

Counter Terrorism officials claimed to have arrested member of militant group 'Neo JMB', who attempted to go to Syria but returned home from Turkey recently, from Dhaka's Darussalam area yesterday.

Minhaz Hossain, 38, was an active member of the militant outfit. He was captured around 6:30pm while meeting other operatives at Konabari area to plan an act of sabotage, Walid Hossain, deputy commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said.  

He had communicated with members of international militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), officials of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit said. 

The officials said they were on high alert after receiving information that a man attempted to go to Syria but returned to the country from Turkey in December last year.

They officials then identified Minhaz and subsequently arrested him from Darussalam area.

The CTTC sources said Minhaz stepped on the path of militancy and tried to communicate with international terror groups. In September last year, he went to Turkey. During his stay in Turkey, he tried to go to Syria through communicating with HTS.

As he failed to enter to Syria, he returned home, went into hiding in Khulna and set up communication with 'Neo JMB' in the country, the sources said.

According to law enforcers, Minhaz was born in Bangladesh but spent most of his childhood in Pakistan after their family shifted there.

He later travelled to the USA and visited some other countries including Malaysia and Brunei before returning to Bangladesh in 2017.

A case was filed with Darussalam Police Station in this regard.