The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested five suspected members of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) and a member of Al Qaeda from different parts of the capital on Friday.
The arrestees were Fakhrul Islam, 58, Saiful Islam, 24, Suruzzaman, 45, Abdullah Al Mamun, 46, Din Islam, 25 and Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, 46.
During the drives, the law enforcers also seized nine mobile phone sets from their possession, said Md Asaduzzaman, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, in a press briefing on Saturday.
Fakhrul, who was a security guard at Tamirul Millat Madrasa in Gazipur, went to Pakistan in 1988 where he met a Bangladeshi-born Al-Qaeda commander Mufti Jakir Hossain.
Later, Fakhrul went to Afghanistan with Mufti Jakir several times and took arms training, he said.
During the training, Fakhrul learned use of various firearms including AK-47, LMG, rocket launcher and other heavy weapons.
He then met Al-Qaeda leader Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden, the CTTC chief said.
He returned to Karachi, Pakistan after completing jihadi training in Afghanistan. From Karachi, he went to Tehran, the capital of Iran in 1995 and returned to Karachi after staying there for about 3 years. Fakhrul returned to Bangladesh in 1998.
Besides, Hafez Md Abdullah Al Mamun ran a social media group by using encrypted apps to communicate among themselves, Asaduzzaman said.
He also created a YouTube channel where he shared extremism-provoking contents including bomb-making manuals and videos to other members, MD Asaduzzaman said in the briefing.
A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act was lodged against the arrestees.
