Son of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur arrested on terror charges

Police say Rafat Chowdhury is the chief coordinator of Ansar Al Islam in Sylhet

Police have arrested Rafat Chowdhury, son of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman, on charges related to terrorism.

Police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit made the arrest in Sylhet on Wednesday. He was later transferred to Dhaka.

Md Asaduzzaman, chief of police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, said Rafat was the chief coordinator of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam’s Sylhet unit.

They have information about Rafat’s links to armed Myanmar groups Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army or ARSA and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation or RSO.

Police will seek his custody for grilling to get more information.

The police officer said information given by three recently arrested youths led the CTTC to Rafat.

The arrestees – Sejadul Islam Shahab Tanim, 24, Md Zahid Hossain Bhuiyan, 21, and Syed Riaz Ahmad, 22 – are suspected members of Ansar Al Islam. They were arrested in Dhaka’s Jatrabari.

Asaduzzaman said the three youths named Rafat in confessional statements given to court.

Citing the statements, the CTTC chief said Rafat invited them to join the Islamist militant group and a total of 11 people left home in response to his call.