Another Islamic leader arrested

The man is Bangla Bhai, the head of an outlawed group called "Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh". Together with the "Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh" they are fighting for the introduction of Sharia in the country.

Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Security officials in Bangladesh say they have arrested a top militant leader of a banned Islamic group after a gun battle in a northern district. Siddiqul Islam, alias Bangla Bhai, heads the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), which along with Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has been waging a bloody campaign for the imposition of Islamic laws.

Security forces surrounded Islam's hideout in Muktagacha last night, Mashuk Hasan, an official of Bangladesh's top anti-crime outfit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said. The militants inside the house retaliated by throwing bombs and firing at the security forces and triggered a shootout, he said. "During the raid Bangla Bhai detonated an explosive and he was slightly injured," said Hasan.

On Thursday, 2 March, the JMB leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, was arrested. The Islamic militant surrendered to police after the 33-hour siege of a house in the northeastern city of Sylhet, where he had been hiding with some of his followers.

Rahman is wanted for his alleged role in a nationwide wave of deadly bomb blasts.

The Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, accused by the opposition of being hand in glove with the fundamentalists, has vowed to preserve secularity in the country. The government banned both groups over a year ago after blaming them for a series of earlier bomb attacks on shrines, musical events, cinemas and other targets. Bangladesh is more than 80% Muslim.

• BANGLADESH
• MILITANTS
• ISLAMIC
• FUNDAMENTALISM
• SHARIA
• ATTACKS