‘Neo JMB member’ arrested in Dhaka

Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested an alleged member of banned militant group Neo JMB from the city’s Konabari bus stand under Dar –us- Salam police station, UNB reports.

The arrestee was identified as Minhaj Hossain, 38.

Based on secret information, a team of CTID conducted a raid at Konabari bus stand area at around 6:30pm on Saturday and arrested Minhaj.

Sources at the CTID claimed that Minhaj is an active member of Neo JMB. Besides, he has close ties with members of international extremist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al Shams (HTS).

During preliminary interrogation, he reportedly confessed that he along with his absconding associates were planning to conduct sabotage activities in Dhaka city.

It is learned that the arrested Minhaj is a Bangladeshi citizen by descent. He was born in Bangladesh and then moved to Pakistan with other family members as a teenager. He grew up there. He and his family later moved to the United States from Pakistan. He also travelled to several countries including Malaysia, Brunei, Papua New Guinea at different times and returned to Bangladesh in 2017.

The CTID had an intelligence lead that a Bangladeshi national returned from Turkey in December last year failing to reach Syria. Based on the information, the CTID intensified its intelligence to identify the Bangladesh national and finally arrested Minhaj from Darus Salam thana area on Saturday evening, said deputy commissioner (Media) of the DMP Md Walid Hossain.