Bangladesh News

Many Bangladeshi nationals were recruited, trained and sent to Afghan war, said an Afghan war veteran who was detained Saturday noon in the city’s Motijheel area by detective branch of police.

Abu Motaleb alias Matu alias Majnu, 44, was picked up from in front of the BCIC Bhaban in the area.

He was taken on a four-day remand after DB police had produced him before a Dhaka Court yesterday.

DB police said they had arrested Motaleb following information from detained Pakistani nationals Mohammad Monwar, Mohammad Ashraf Ali Zahid and Syed Abdul Kaiyum alias Sufian, who are suspected to be operatives of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

SM Rafiqul Islam assistant commissioner (AC) of DB said Abu Motaleb, who is a Bangladeshi national, took part in Afghan war from 1987 to 1990.

Motaleb is an explosives expert, the AC said adding, he had recruited many Bangladeshis and arranged their training in Pakistan before sending them to Afghan war.

The AC also added that the recruited Bangladeshi nationals also had been sent to some other countries to carry out subversive activities.

However detective police could not ascertain the number of Bangladeshi men recruited by Abu Motaleb and the time when they were sent to Afghan war.

And they are yet to know from where the Bangladeshi nationals were recruited and also what their present addresses were.

Earlier on November 4, DB arrested Mufti Harun Izahar, Shahidul Islam and Al Amin alias Saiful for their suspected link with a plot to attack the US embassy and Indian high commission in Dhaka.

Detective police so far detained seven alleged operatives of LeT in this connection. Three of them are Pakistani nationals.

Of the arrestees, six were sent to jail after grilling each in two spells of remand.

Meanwhile, DB police yesterday re-arrested three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) members when they came out of Dhaka Central Jail 18 days of their arrest from Chittagong in connection with the US embassy and Indian high commission attack plot.

Sources said a DB team re-arrested Mufti Harun Izahar, son of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) faction chief Mufti Izaharul Islam Chowdhury, and his associates Shahidul Islam and Al Amin alias Saiful soon after they were freed from the jail around 7:30pm.

When contacted, duty officer of Chawkbazar Police Station confirmed the arrest but Assistant Commissioner Sanwar Hossain of DB who led the first arrest of the three in Chittagong said they were not informed of the matter