Published : 26 Sep 2025, 02:59 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:51 PM
Despite government claims that there is no militant activity in Bangladesh, Additional Inspector General Md Rezaul Karim, head of police’s Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), warns that the risk of future threats cannot be dismissed.
Speaking on Thursday, he emphasised the need for continued vigilance, saying a single incident could trigger a “major crisis”.
“Most people in this country do not subscribe to extremism, terrorism or radical ideology. Yet, domestic or foreign conspiracies may occasionally take root. Such possibilities always exist, and we will keep them under close watch,” he said.
Rezaul took charge as ATU chief on Sept 11, having previously served as Sylhet Metropolitan Police commissioner.
Warning about the growing sophistication of potential threats, he said: “Those involved nowadays include hacker groups and expert software engineers. Any accident can happen at any moment. We must be more active to prevent this.”
On previous anti-militancy operations during earlier governments, he said: “We know what happened before and what didn’t. We stand firm on the facts -- truth is truth, falsehood is falsehood.”
The ATU chief also assured that no criminals will be spared.
“So far, we haven’t noticed any activity. But if someone becomes self-motivated or suddenly goes astray, we have the opportunity to act. Our surveillance must remain vigilant to detect any deviation,” he said.
Recalling the 2005 simultaneous bombings, Rezaul said: “Those arrested at the time confessed voluntarily. They believed this was their path to freedom, their way to paradise. Most were poorly educated. Neither they nor their motivators had complete knowledge.”
On the recent repatriation of 10 suspected militants from Malaysia, he said: “Each person was interrogated separately. They were mostly labourers. No evidence was found against them, which is why Malaysia cleared them after detaining one individual.”
Rezaul confirmed that the ATU is working to track down financial supporters behind militant activities.
