[Bangla Daily Star] Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested two majlish-e-shura members and four other operatives of banned Islamist militant organisation Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), busting their dens in Narayanganj, Jamalpur, and Bagerhat early yesterday. Majlish-e-shura is the highest decision making forum of JMB.
The two top tier leaders -- Mehedi Hasan alias Abeer, who was in charge of JMB's Khulna division, and Zahirul Islam alias Zahid alias Badal, who was in charge of Dhaka division (north), were arrested from a house at Borpa of Rupganj in Narayanganj.
The elite battalion seized one foreign pistol, 19 grenade casings, 20 detonators, other bomb making materials, and some books on jihad from the hideout.
Following up on information provided by the two arrestees, another team of Rab intelligence wing launched drives at different places in Jamalpur and arrested Hasan Sheikh, an ehsar member who was in charge of Jamalpur district, and gayre ehsar members Abdul Mazed and Akhtaruzzaman alias Shuruz Master, with four CDs and some books on jihad in their possessions.
In a near simultaneous raid Rab arrested the banned organisation's ehsar member also in charge of Bagerhat, Akbar alias Al Amin, from Mollahr Hat in the district.
Abeer, a long time JMB member was inducted into majlish-e-shura in 2007 while Badal, a close aide to JMB's current coordinator Bashar, was inducted into the top forum about two months ago, Rab officials said.
The officials also said Badal was looking after financial affairs of the organisation since Bashar, son of JMB chief Maulana Saidur Rahman, had stopped looking after the matter about two months ago.
"Although we couldn't arrest the JMB chief, we arrested his two close associates. We are hopeful of capturing the Ameer," Rab Director General Hassan Mahmood Khandkar told a media briefing at the battalion's headquarters yesterday.
The Rab chief said religious militancy in Bangladesh is effectively under control, but it has not been totally uprooted yet.
"We are noticing two things in JMB now, they are trying to increase their organisational strength, and they are preparing to carry out subversive activities in the future," the Rab DG said adding that the banned outfit is currently too weak to carry out any attack. He however added that his battalion is on alert to thwart any such attempt.
The arrested Islamist militants were paraded in front of the media at the briefing, but were not allowed to talk.
Rab officials said during primary interrogation the two shura members said they were planning to hold a meeting in the capital soon for coming to some decisions regarding strengthening JMB's activities.
They also admitted to Rab that they are now looking into use of guns, instead of their traditional penchant for bombs and grenades.
The Rab officials claimed that Al Amin was providing financial support to families of arrested JMB members, and was maintaining contacts with jailed operatives of the organisation.