JMB knew about TV host Farooqi murder plan, police say

The seven Jamaa'tul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members who were arrested on Thursday night knew of the plan to murder TV show host Nurul Islam Farooqi, police claim.

Speaking at a press briefing in Dhaka on Friday, Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said the arrestees admitted during primary questioning that they knew knew a bit about the murder plan.

The seven men of the banned Islamist outfit, including its acting chief Abdullah Al Tasnim alias Nahid, were arrested at Dhaka's Turag with a huge cache of explosives.

Police identified other arrestees as Md Naim Ali, 28, Md Sikandar Ali alias Noki, 25, Mahmud Ibn Bashar, 23, Md Masum Billah, 26, Fuad Hasan, 18, and Ali Ahmed, 24.

Farooqi, who hosted three programmes on two private TV channels, was hacked at his own home at East Rajabazar on Aug 27.

He was a presidium member of Islami Front, connected with Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, and also the Khatib of High Court Mazar Mosque.

His son Faisal Farooqi filed a case against about eight unidentified men at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

Farooqi’s family believes fanatics were behind the murder.

Islami Front student affiliate Chhatra Sena submitted a complaint at a Dhaka court accusing six persons, including five Islamic programme presenters, of being the mastermind of the murder.

The TV presenters are Tareque Monwar of NTV and ATN Bangla, Kazi Ibrahim of Diganta TV and Peace TV, Arakunullah Haruni of ATN Bangla, Khaled Saifullah Bakhshi of RTV and Radio Today, and Mukter Ahmed of Banglavision.

The other arrestee is Jamaat-e-Islami’s Narsinghdi unit former chief Kamal Uddin Zafari.

JMB’s link to IS

Senior detective Monirul Islam said at the briefing that 29-year-old Tasnim was leading JMB, as its chief Maulana Saidur Rahman was now in prison.

He said Noki studied at North South University and Bashar at Dhaka University.

Islam said: “JMB members contacted Middle East-based militant outfit Islamic State (IS) and planned to work for them in Bangladesh.

“They are also working to register members from public and private higher education institutions. They admitted to police that this year they are mainly enlisting women.”

Police said they recovered 10 kilograms of chemicals used for manufacturing explosives, four brass idols, JMB pamphlets and books from the arrestees.

Two-day remand

A Dhaka court on Friday remanded the JMB arrestees for two days in police custody in one of the two cases filed following their detention.

Police sought 10 days for each to grill them in the case lodged under Anti-Terrorism Act.