14 Bangladeshis deported by Singapore loyal to Ansarullah Bangla Team, say police

Police say 14 of the 26 Bangladeshis deported by Singaporean authorities over their ‘Jihad conspiracy’ are supporters of militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team.

But they said they have not found any evidence linking them to international militant outfits.
 
Dhaka’s Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam told a press conference on Thursday, “Almost all of them are loyal to Ansarullah Bangla Team.”
 
“But they were not directly involved with the outfit,” he added.
 
Police came up with the statement a day after Singapore published their detailed identities following their deportation.

Singapore police had arrested 27 Bangladeshis, working as construction workers, from Nov 16 to Dec 1 over terror plans in the island state. Later in December, the country deported 26 of them.
 
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement on Wednesday said they had conspired Jihad ‘in their own country’.
 
It said the remaining Bangladeshi was not a member of the group, but was discovered to have been undergoing radicalisation.
 
Bangladesh police arrested the 26 at a house in Dhaka’s Uttara following their deportation and interrogated 14 of them after filing a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
 
The deportation came to light after they were produced before a Dhaka court on Dec 27 but the government became certain about the reason after the Singapore home ministry statement.
 
Monirul Islam told a press conference at Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters that 14 of the deportees faced several rounds of interrogation and are now in custody.
 
The remaining 12 were released but they are under watch, he added.
 
The police officer said the 26 Bangladeshis worked as construction workers for two to eight years in the city-state.
 
“They used to say prayers at a mosque near Mustafa Centre in Singapore. Inspired by Ansarullah Bangla Team members there, they become loyal to the outfit,”
 
“Most of them were not actively involved in politics in Bangladesh before migrating to Singapore. However, a few of them were involved with the Jamaat (-e-Islami).”
 
Islam also said they had no information about whether those people had received ‘militant training’ in Singapore.
 
But they remitted money to different organisations including Hifazat-e Islam on several occasions, he added.