Rab arrests Ansar-Al-Islam leader in Savar

Rab has arrested Munshi Iqbal Ahmed (62), one of the organisers of the banned militant group, Ansar al-Islam, from Rajashan area of Savar. He is the brother of Mufti Hannan, head of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (Huji-B).

Superintendent of police (SP) of Rab-4, Joyita Shilpi, confirmed the development to our local correspondent this afternoon. Mobile phones, extremist literature, and leaflets used to spread extremism were recovered from Munshi Iqbal at that time, she said.

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Based on secret information, he was arrested yesterday during a raid in his brother-in-law's house in Rajashan area, she said.

In addition, a Rab-4 press release said that the arrestee was once a leader of Harkatul Jihad. He began working with Ansar al-Islam on May 21, 2004 after a grenade attack on former British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury at Sylhet's Hazrat Shahjalal shrine.

At present, he confessed to being one of the organisers of Ansar al-Islam. The other five to six members of the organisation were said to have met last night. Evidence of various extremist conversations and propaganda has been found from his mobile phone, the Rab official said.

According to the press release, there are four cases against him related to terrorism and vandalism in different police stations.