Published : 20 Sep 2026, 02:52 PM
Updated : 20 Sep 2026, 02:52 PM
Among those arrested on suspicion of militancy from the Tejgaon College Mosque in Dhaka, 12 had planned to establish an extremist organisation called “Ittehadul Ummah" to form a caliphate, says Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
They were arrested in a raid based on information available to the government’s intelligence agencies, he said at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Salahuddin said, "A number of people were sitting and holding discussions in the mosque even after prayers were over. Our intelligence agency had information that such activities might be taking place. They went there and arrested them based on the intelligence report. There was probably around 23 of them."
The home minister said that each of the arrestees was interrogated and their mobile phones underwent forensic examination.
He said, "There were about 11 people there against whom no evidence or information was found by phone forensics. They were later handed over to their elders."
Regarding the other 12, he said: "The information found in the forensic report of their telephones and during interrogation shows that they wanted to form an organisation called ‘Ittehadul Ummah’. They wanted to establish a caliphate and I would say they were extremists and intending to carry out radical activities."
The government has declared it will have “zero tolerance” on such matters, Salahuddin said: "That is why they have been remanded for police interrogation. This will uncover the truth."
Police arrested 23 people on suspicion of militancy from the Tejgaon College mosque in Farmgate area on Friday. They were then taken into custody.
