Abdur Rahman, who died during Ashulia raid, is 'Neo-JMB chief Hanif', RAB says 

Suspected militant Abdur Rahman Aynal, who died after falling from the fourth floor of a building in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital during a raid, is Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) 'Ameer' (chief) Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, RAB says.  

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 21 Oct 2016, 06:26 AM
Updated : 21 Oct 2016, 10:08 AM

The elite force's Director General Benazir Ahmed made the claim at a news conference in Dhaka on Friday.

He said Rahman had used the alias Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif while forming Neo-JMB.

Benazir showed a copy of a Neo-JMB announcement to prove his claim at the conference call.

The announcement was signed by Hanif and one Shekh Abu Dujuna, he said.

According to the RAB chief, Dujuna is Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, who has so far been identified as the chief coordinator of Neo-JMB, the group blamed for the July 1 terror attack on a cafe in Dhaka's Gulshan.

Tamim, the suspected mastermind of the deadly attack on the premises of Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen in Gulshan, was killed during a raid in Narayanganj in August.

RAB organised the conference after arresting two persons identified as Nafiz Ahmed Nayan and Hasibul Hasan from Mohakhali and Motijheel respectively on Thursday night.

The force's Assistant Director Mizanur Rahman told bdnews24.com Tk 2.77 million was seized from the duo.

"They are members of Neo-JMB and close associates of Abu Hanif," he added.

The person who RAB said died after 'jumping off' the fourth floor of a building being raided in Ashulia on Oct 8 was initially identified as 'key Neo-JMB financier Abdur Rahman Aynal'.

RAB seized Tk 3 million from the house. Mosammat Shahnaz Akter Rumi, 28, the widow of the deceased suspect, has been detained and remanded. Their two minor children have been sent to Safe Home.

Benazir said RAB found fake national ID card, passport, job ID card and various other documents in the house. Analysing the documents, the elite force concluded that the person was using several aliases.

The RAB chief told the conference that the person was actually Sarwar Jahan from Chanpainawabganj's Bholarhat.

Sarwar also used aliases 'Moktar', Nazmul Islam and Shaykh Asim Azwad, according to Benazir.

He said Sarwar was detained along with 32 others from a gathering led by JMB leader Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai at a house in Chanpainawabganj in 2003. Sarwar was a Qawmi madrasa student back then.

Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) over an attack during the detention of the 33, Benazir said and added the militants, led by Bangla Bhai, hurled grenades on police and snatched away three guns.

Showing a copy of the FIR, he said "Sarwar was the No. 7 accused in the FIR."

"We've come to know that he led a militant life for 13 years from 2003 to 2016. Finally he formed Neo-JMB as its Ameer with the alias Abu Ibrahim," he added.