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According to the report, JMB, ABT, ISIS, and AQ Bangladesh are all the same entity. Also, the NIA on Monday conducted extensive simultaneous searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with the activities promoted by some Bangladeshi nationals as part of al-Qaeda’s conspiracy…Read More
With increased activities by these outfits in Bangladesh, activities directed towards India have also been intercepted by Indian agencies, said the intelligence note. Representational image/AFP
An intelligence note exclusively accessed by CNN-News18 has revealed that splinter groups of the terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are active in India after the release of top al-Qaeda (AQ) leadership in Bangladesh. These groups have penetrated slaughterhouses and cotton textile houses in these places, said the note. They allegedly live in densely populated areas where local Bengalis stay and travel regularly to meet friends and activate their groups.
According to the report, JMB, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Islamic State (ISIS), and AQ Bangladesh are all the same entity.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted extensive simultaneous searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with the activities promoted by some Bangladeshi nationals as part of al-Qaeda’s conspiracy to destabilise India.
The crackdown at nine locations linked with individuals suspected of supporting and funding the activities of al-Qaeda. This started early in the morning in Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, and Assam.
The searches were part of the NIA’s ongoing investigations into a 2023 case pertaining to a conspiracy orchestrated by Bangladesh-based al-Qaeda operatives in collaboration with the arrested individuals. The conspiracy was allegedly aimed at propagating al-Qaeda’s terrorist activities and radicalising gullible youths in India.
“Security agencies are on high alert after the arrest of some individuals,” said a source. JMB, a deadly terror organisation in Bangladesh, carried out simultaneous blasts in 63 districts.
Major JMB attacks
2002: Bomb attack on a church in Gopalganj.
2004: Bomb attack on the UK and US embassies.
2005: Simultaneous bombings in 63 districts.
2016: Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka.
Two terror incidents were also carried out by the JMB in West Bengal.
In 2018, the JMB carried out an attack at Bodh Gaya, said sources.
After a crackdown on the JMB, splinter groups were created, and they joined AQ, ISIS, and ABT, the intelligence note said.
They allegedly even travelled to Syria, and the same group is behind the 2016 Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka.
JMB foot soldiers joined ABT, ISIS, al-Qaeda
According to the intel note, all foot soldiers from the JMB have joined ABT, ISIS, and al-Qaeda. Bangladesh’s new Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has released all major cadres of these groups.
“Earlier, the Rapid Action Battalion, the anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police, was very active and used to pick and kill them,” said a source. “With this, they all started moving to India and set up their bases in southern India, Assam, and West Bengal. They have a system in India, and this old system is being reactivated with the relaxation from the Bangladesh government and the release of cadres. This same JMB is now calling itself AQ and ISIS.”
With increased activities by these outfits in Bangladesh, activities directed towards India have also been intercepted by Indian agencies, said the intelligence note.
According to it, JMB, AQ, and ISIS have one common target: Indian interests and Western interests in India, like those of the USA and Israel.
So far, funding from al-Qaeda core like in Afghanistan or Syria has not been found, said the source. They are allegedly funded locally by small madrasas.
In recent years, al-Qaeda has been seen meeting with Darul Uloom Deoband members, said the note.
“They are mostly active online, pledging allegiance virtually and sending it to someone in Syria,” a source said.
Intelligence sources had earlier told CNN-News18 that the Bangladesh government’s release of terrorist and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) chief Jashimuddin Rehmani in August was a cause for concern for India. Rehmani was convicted for the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.
According to sources in Bangladesh and New Delhi, Rehmani is working closely with al-Qaeda and has carried out many violent incidents in Bangladesh. “His release is a clear indication of how the new Bangladesh government is looking at its relationship with India,” said intelligence sources.
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