Jamaat chief knew of son’s militancy link: CTTC

A senior counter-terrorism official said on Thursday that the amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman has confessed the involvement of his son Dr Rafat Sadiq Saifullah with the new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit chief Md Asaduzzaman came up with the remarks at a press conference at DMP Media Centre in Dhaka following the arrest of two new members of the militant group.

Rafat, son of Shafiqur Rahman, along with one of his associates, were arrested from the Jatrabari area of Dhaka on November 9. He was serving as the chief coordinator of the Sylhet region of this new militant group.

A group of young people led by Rafat left homes recently and went to Bandarban, from where they went to Sylhet after getting training from Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed group in the Bandarban, the CTTC claimed.

Asked whether they found any evidence of Jamaat amir’s involvement with militancy, Asaduzzaman said, “Shafiqur remained silent and did not report to the law enforcement agencies while knowing that his son was involved in militancy. According to the law, it is a criminal offence.”

“Jamaat’s amir’s son migrated and has left for the hills of Bandarban with a group. But failing to reach there, Rafat contacted his father. Then Shafiqur made all arrangements to bring back Rafat and his associates safely. It is the highest collaboration of terrorism,” he added.

As journalists cited previous instances of authorities allowing guardians to bring their children back from militancy, the CTTC chief said, “They think that if the boy (Rafat) wanted to return to normal life from militancy, the family would have applied to the authorities then the action could have been taken.”

“But Shafiqur knew that his son was involved in militancy. And he did not inform law enforcement agencies. He kept the entire episode secret. And Rafat’s chronicle does not prove that he wanted to return from militancy willingly,” said Asaduzzaman.

The CTTC arrested Shafiqur on December 13 accusing him of sheltering his son’s militant activities and bearing the expenses.

Later he was shown arrested in a case filed with Jatrabari police station of Dhaka and remanded for seven days. Later, when the remand period ended, the investigating agency again remanded him for three days.

Asked about the whereabouts of the two militants who escaped from the Dhaka court premises, Asaduzzman said that time was yet to come to speak on it.

“They are in the country, they have not escaped the country,” he said.