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A new militant group called ‘Shahadat’ has emerged from the banned Islamist outfit Ansar al-Islam, the Rapid Action Battalion says after arresting three of its members, reports bdnews24.com.
The three were arrested on Friday from the Gulistan and Signboard areas of the capital.
The detainees were identified as Md Ismail Hossain (25), Md Jihad Hossain alias Huzaifa (24) and Md Aminul Islam (25).
Commander Arafat Islam, director of the legal and media wing of the RAB, said in a press conference on Saturday that Ismail is the head of their recruiting branch while the two others are regional trainers.
In a press conference at the Karwan Bazar media centre, Commander Arafat said that the activities of Ansar al-Islam have almost come to an impasse due to regular operations by the RAB and other law enforcers.
"As part of a strategy, Ansar al-Islam members are operating under the name of a new militant organisation called 'Shahadat'."
"They are inspired by the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and follow the ideology of Al-Qaeda," said the RAB official.
He said they have been targeting madrasa students with 'militant ideology'.
Ismail is a Dawra-e-Hadith student in a madrasa in Narayanganj, Arafat said. A year ago, he contacted a militant named Salahuddin, who is living abroad, through social media, the RAB said at the press conference. Then, motivated by extremism, he became involved in the militant organisation. He was later designated the leader of its recruitment wing.
Jihad is a madrasa teacher and Aminul is a garment worker, Arafat said. They communicated with militant leaders separately through social media and managed organisations under their guidance and were given the position of regional trainers, he added.