From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: On being tipped off by West Bengal police, Assam police have arrested six ‘jihadi’ elements having link with Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from different parts of Barpeta district in Assam.
The accused were produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Kamrup (metropolitan district) here and remanded to 14 days police custody with effect from Friday.
The arrested persons were identified as: Rafikul Islam (39), Md. Shiraj Ali Khan (53), Shaikhul Islam (20) @ Abdull, Jahuruddin (60) and his son Golam Usmani (23), Sarbesh Ali (35).
Assam police on Saturday informed that as per preliminary investigation the arrested persons were a part of the module operating under patronization of Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) that was involved in the IED blast that took place in Burdwan in West Bengal on October 2 last.
One of the arrested person Shaikhul Islam @ Abdulla is one of the important member of the module operating in Assam, and associate of Shakil Ahmed @ Shamin, a JMB activist who died in that incident of IED blast.
Shaikhul @ Abdullah had training in Jehad in Simulia madrassa of Burdwan and also in another Madrassa in Murshidabad. Instruction was given to Shaikhul Islam @ Abdullah to remain as sleeper cell and to look for potential Muslim youth for motivation for Jehad.
Police said JMB man Shakil Ahmed @ Shamin who died on October 2 last while making bomb at Burdwan in West Bengal, used to visit Barpeta district areas in Assam under cover of garment business for motivating Muslim people in the name of Pan-Islamism. Investigation is on to identify other members of module and to arrest them.
Sources informed that Al-Qaeda, JMB and IM were working in tandem in pursuit of the goal of an ‘integrated Islamistan’ in South East Asia region.
The arrest of six ‘jihadi’ elements having links with Jamatul Mijahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Barpeta district in Assam have exposed a greater design of Muslim fundamentalist outfits JMB, Indian Mujahideen (IM) and Al Qaeda of Pakistan to destablise South East Asia region besides attempting to trigger serial blasts in Assam like the one that rocked the state in 2008.
Assam police are conducting search operations in Barpeta, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Kokrajhar, Dhubri district areas in Assam.
October 2 blast at the JMB hideout at Burdwan in West Bengal have provided vital clue to police that some jihad elements from various parts of Assam used to go to Burdwan and other areas in West Bengal to undergo jihadi training provided under the patronage of the JMB and (IM) which are suspected to be getting aid from Al-Qaeda.
The police have sounded alert all over Assam after the ‘jihadi’ activities in the state came to light.
Police have come to know that explosive materials prepared by JMB men at Burdwan area in West Bengal were dispatched to Assam and other parts of the Northeast.