Another held over alleged links to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan

Another man was arrested yesterday for his alleged ties with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a Pakistan-based banned militant outfit.

The arrestee is Shamin Mahfuz, 48, of College Para area of Gaibandha, said police.

Barrister Mahfujul Alam Russel, superintendent of police (media and awareness wing) of the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), said Rab arrested Shamin in Narayanganj last evening in a case filed by ATU with the Savar Model Police Station over militancy links and handed him over to the ATU the same day.

Yesterday, a Dhaka court granted a five-day remand after the ATU produced Shamin before the magistrate with a remand prayer.

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Man held in Savar for alleged links to Tehrik-e-Taliban

"He is now in our custody," added the ATU SP.

With this, so far two people have been arrested in Bangladesh over alleged links with the TTP.

Earlier, the Anti-Terrorism Unit arrested Md Foysal, 33, from his shop -- Bhai Brothers Telecom -- near the Savar upazila health complex on July 2, based on intel regarding his involvement with the TTP.

He was produced before a Dhaka court the following day under section 54 of the CrPC, and then sent to jail.

On July 5, Inspector Abdul Mannan of the ATU's intelligence branch filed a case under Anti-Terrorism Act against Foysal and five others with Savar Model Police Station. The other accused are Al Imran alias Engineer Imran Haider, Rezaul Karim Abrar, Asif Adnan, Zakaria Masud, and Md Sanaf Hasan.

Although Shamin Mahfuz was not a named accused in the case, police primarily found he had ties with the TTP, according to a police official from the Special Branch who was also working on TTP-related investigations.

The SB officer, wishing anonymity, said there are 10 cases against Shamin Mahfuz -- two under the Explosives Act, 1884, two under the  Arms Act, 1878, and eight under Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009. He had been in jail for a long time. He was released on bail on October 14, 2024.

Shamin was earlier arrested by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit on June 23, 2023. 

A former Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) leader, he was a key figure in the militant outfit --  Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. The outfit was formed in 2019.

Shamin, alias Mending Murang, was expelled from a cadet college for his involvement with Islami Chhatrashibir.

A former teacher of Bangladesh Open University, Shamin graduated from Dhaka University. He was on the merit lists of SSC and HSC results. He is known in the outfit as "Sir", according to police. 

The Detective Branch arrested Shamin in 2014 for his involvement with JMB as he was recruiting operatives across the country and giving them training on arms in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

While in Gazipur jail, he came in touch with the top leaders of JMB and the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji).

The militant leaders knew that Shamin and Roxy (another militant) would be freed from jail. So, the two were tasked with a new militant platform, said police.

Roxy was released in 2017 and Shamin in 2018. After that, they started gathering new operatives for the militant group, which they did not name yet.

However, they continued with the tasks given to them. Roxy was mainly involved in recruiting members for the organisation while Shamin was focussed on setting up training camps in the hills.

Shamin and Nathan Bom (chief of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), a separatist group in Bandarban) were close friends at Dhaka University.  So, Shamin cashed in on the friendship and visited the hills accompanied by Nathan, the CTTC officials said in 2023.

In 2019, Shamin informed Nathan about his plan to float the militant platform and proposed that the latter help him set up training camps for armed jihad in the hilly areas of Bandarban, according to the police official.

Negotiations between the two groups were held at a Cox's Bazar hotel in 2020.

Last month, Malaysian police detained 36 Bangladeshi nationals on charges of links to a "militant" network, according to Malaysian outlet New Straits Times.

TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, is an alliance of formerly disparate militant groups that came together in 2007 following Pakistan military operations against Al-Qaida-affiliated militants. Formed under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud, who has since died, TTP is rooted along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, according to the UN Security Council website.

Set up by the Bangladesh Police in September 2017, the ATU is an intelligence-led, technology-based specialized unit mandated to counter terrorism.