Syria-returned 'terrorist' on three-day remand

The court has granted permission for the Syria-returned suspected terrorist arrested in Chattogram, Sakhawat Ali, to be taken on three-day remand for interrogation. Chattogram metropolitan magistrate Hossain Mohammad Reza granted the remand today, Saturday, after the hearing.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, the Chattogram Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner (prosecution) Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo the police's counter-terrorism unit had sought five days remand to interrogate arrested Sakhawat Ali. The court granted three days remand.

The counter-terrorism unit arrested Sakhawat Ali from Dakkhin Khulshi in Chattogram on Friday night claiming that he was an IT expert of the banned militant organisation, Ansar al-Islam.

The law enforcement said Sakhawat Ali went to Syria from Bangladesh four years ago. He returned to Bangladesh in March this year.

According to the case statement filed by the counter-terrorism unit’s sub-inspector (SI) Rasib Khan with Khulshi police station, Sakhawat got involved with terrorist activities through his brother-in-law Md Arif Mamun in 2012. Later he got involved with Jihadi activities at the instigation of dismissed army major Zia (Syed Ziaul Haque) and others.

As part of this, Arif went to Turkey in 2017 and crossed the Syrian border illegally. He took training in heavy arms from Hayat Tahrir Ashraq there.

He trained at Idlib, Syria for six months. From there he went to Indonesia, visited Sri Lanka and went to Indonesia again.

Counter-terrorism unit Chattogram deputy commissioner Hasan Mohammad Shawkat Ali, speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday afternoon, said they would get information about terrorism activities while interrogating Sakhawat.