The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also called Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh/Ansar Bangla is an Islamic terrorist organization in Bangladesh, implicated in crimes including some brutal attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015 and a bank heist in April 2015.[5] The gang was outlawed days after the bank robbery by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 May 2015.[6][7] The group has been claimed by police to be linked to Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh.[8]
Confessions of five members of the group were recorded by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-or-Rashid that continued from 1 pm to 8 pm relating to the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider on February 15, 2013. Another four have been arrested for the attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin.[9] They also claimed responsibility for the murder of three atheist bloggers, Avijit Roy,[10] Oyasiqur Rahman Babu,[11] and Ananta Bijoy Das,[12] and murder of Rajshahi University sociology professor AKM Shafiul Islam.[13]
According to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, the ABT is an Al Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group in Bangladesh that started its activities during 2007 as the Jama’atul Muslemin funded by different NGOs. The group ceased to operate when funding ended. It resurfaced during 2013 as the ABT.[6] Ansarullah Bangla Team is a front group for al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
A new report in 2013 identified Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani as the spiritual leader of a militant group in Bangladesh. He was inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, who had been killed by the US. He was suspected of building an Islamist terror network in Bangladesh for about minimum 5 years. They shared their views on a website called “Ansarulla Bangla Team”. The server of the website was located in Pakistan. Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani was the Imam of Hatembagh mosque, Dhanmondi.[14] The organization has a presence on Facebook where it publishes propaganda and names its targets. Many of its supporters online are also supporters of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[15]
Militant activity
Murders
The ABT claimed responsibility for some of the prominent murders and attacks of atheist bloggers, including Ahmed Rajib Haider, Asif Mohiuddin, Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman, Ananta Bijoy Das and AKM Shafiul Islam.
On 21 November, two of the men sentenced to death for the murder of Avijit Roy escaped from a courtroom in Dhaka, assisted by men on motorbikes armed with chemical sprays.[16]
Ashulia bank robbery
The ABT was implicated in a bank robbery of a branch of the Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited in Ashulia of Savar on April 21, 2015. The robbery started at 3 pm, when 8-10 people entered the bank brandishing guns. According to witness reports, they tried to take Tk. 5 lakhs (US$6,400 as of June 2015) while holding bank officials hostage at gunpoint. However, as some of the officials obstructed the robbers, they were stabbed, injuring 5 of which 3 succumbed to their injuries in medical care:[17]
a bank manager,
a security officer and
a bank customer.
However, at that point, locals outside quickly used a nearby mosque with loudspeakers to announce the bank robbery. The robbers heard the announcements and started violently fleeing the area, using several rounds of shots, hurling molotov cocktails and grenades. This sudden outburst injured some 20 people; 3 of whom died immediately after hospital admission, 2 later while receiving treatment at around 8:30 pm and one more person on the next night.[17][18]
The robbers divided and fled the scene, some on foot and some on motorcycles. A mob quickly formed and caught 2 robbers on one bike and another robber in another area. In a mass beating of the two caught, the mob killed one and hospitalised the other – who later succumbed to his injuries. The police attempted to recover the robbers but this led to a clash and two police vehicles being vandalised. Arrival of police backup put the situation under control and the robbers captured.[17][19]
A total of 9 people were either killed immediately or succumbed to injuries sustained, and at least 14 others were at most injured by bullet-wounds from weapons used by the robbers. Interrogation of the captured robber(s) led to the arrest of more suspects; police found that several of the robbers were members of the ABT.
Arrests
The following arrests were made of speculated or confirmed ABT members as of 1 June 2015.
Asif Mohiuddin's attempted murder (13 January 2013 attack) – 1 April 2013 arrests.[20]
Al Amin Hossain (21 April 2015 arrest) – A robber caught by the locals.
Mahfuzul Islam Shamim (30 April 2015 arrest) – The 'operation commander' of the Ashulia bank robbery, an ex-member of the banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and confessor of crimes including robbery and murder of a bKash vendor on 10 March 2015.
Two others killed as a result of mass beating by a mob.
Secret meeting attendees at Dhaka – 13 June 2016.[23]
Md Mozahidul Islam – responsible for recruiting and inviting new members into (ABT), arrested via Detective Branch on a crackdown[24]
Md Ariful Islam Solaiman alias Arafat – responsible for recruiting and inviting new members into (ABT), arrested via Detective Branch on a crackdown[25]
In December 2015 several members of ABT were sentenced for the murder of activist Ahmed Rajib Haider, including:
Faisal bin Nayem alias Dweep - sentenced to death
Rezwanul Azad Rana - sentenced to death in absentia
Jasim Uddin Rahmani - 5 years imprisonment, Taka 2,000 fine
Maksudul Hasan - life imprisonment in absentia
Ban
The outfit was planned to be banned in 2013 alongside 9 others[26] but the ban on the ABT was not enacted at the time. After a police request for a ban following an investigation report of the bank heist two years later, the Ministry of Home Affairs officially banned them on 25 May 2015.[6][7][27]
^"Al-Qaeda branch claims responsibility for murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy: Rab, police doubt reported claim". The Daily Star. Transcom Group. May 4, 2015. from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
^ abc"Ansarullah Bangla Team banned". Dhaka Tribune. May 25, 2015. from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
^ ab. Prothom Alo. Transcom Group. May 25, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^"Blogger Rajib's 'killers' linked to al-Qaeda: DB". The Daily Star. Transcom Group. March 15, 2013. from the original on 2013-03-18. Retrieved June 2, 2015. The North South University students ... were working under a new-born extremist militant organisation 'Ansarullah Bengali Team'
^"4 held over attempt to kill blogger". The Daily Star. Transcom Group. April 2, 2013. from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
^. Prothom Alo. Transcom Group. February 27, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
^Dearden, Lizzie (March 30, 2015). "An atheist blogger has been hacked to death in Bangladesh for the second time this year". The Independent. from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
^"Bangladesh arrests three men including Briton over murders of secular bloggers". The Guardian. August 18, 2015. from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
^"Islamist group claim responsibility of RU teacher murder". bdnews24.com. November 16, 2014. from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
^Manik, Julfikar Ali (August 14, 2013). "Preaching militancy, building network". The Daily Star. from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
^Khan, Mohammad Jamil; Shaon, Ashif Islam (November 17, 2014). . Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
^"Two Islamist killers of US blogger escape from Bangladesh court". The Guardian. Reuters. November 21, 2022.
^ abcHossain, Nadim (April 21, 2015). "8 killed in Ashulia bank robbery". Dhaka Tribune. from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^"One more die in Ashulia bank robbery incident". Dhaka Tribune. April 24, 2015. from the original on 2015-04-26. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^ abDhruba, Golam Mujtaba (June 1, 2015). "Police analyse robber's 'blueprints' of Bangladesh Commerce Bank". bdnews24.com. from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^Sarkar, Kailash (August 21, 2013). "Ten Islamist outfits to face ban". Dhaka Tribune. from the original on 2015-05-31. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^Islam, Rozina (May 22, 2015). . Prothom Alo. Transcom Group. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
August 21, 2023
ansarullah, bangla, team, also, called, ansar, islam, bangladesh, ansar, bangla, islamic, terrorist, organization, bangladesh, implicated, crimes, including, some, brutal, attacks, murders, atheist, bloggers, from, 2013, 2015, bank, heist, april, 2015, gang, o. The Ansarullah Bangla Team ABT also called Ansar al Islam Bangladesh Ansar Bangla is an Islamic terrorist organization in Bangladesh implicated in crimes including some brutal attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015 and a bank heist in April 2015 5 The gang was outlawed days after the bank robbery by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 May 2015 6 7 The group has been claimed by police to be linked to Islami Chhatra Shibir the student wing of Jamaat e Islami party in Bangladesh 8 Ansarullah Bangla Teamআনস র ল ল হ ব ল ট মFlag of Ansarullah Bangla TeamSuspected ChiefMuhammad Jasimuddin RahmaniDates of operation2013 presentAllegiance Al Qaeda HuJI BActive regionsIndian subcontinentIdeologyIslamic extremismMajor actionsAshulia Bank Robbery Killing of Atheist BloggersStatusActiveSizeunknownDesignated as a terrorist group by Bangladesh 1 India 2 United Kingdom 3 United States of America 4 Confessions of five members of the group were recorded by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Harun or Rashid that continued from 1 pm to 8 pm relating to the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider on February 15 2013 Another four have been arrested for the attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin 9 They also claimed responsibility for the murder of three atheist bloggers Avijit Roy 10 Oyasiqur Rahman Babu 11 and Ananta Bijoy Das 12 and murder of Rajshahi University sociology professor AKM Shafiul Islam 13 According to the Terrorism Research amp Analysis Consortium the ABT is an Al Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group in Bangladesh that started its activities during 2007 as the Jama atul Muslemin funded by different NGOs The group ceased to operate when funding ended It resurfaced during 2013 as the ABT 6 Ansarullah Bangla Team is a front group for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Contents 1 History 2 Militant activity 2 1 Murders 2 2 Ashulia bank robbery 3 Arrests 4 Sentences 5 Ban 6 ReferencesHistory EditA new report in 2013 identified Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani as the spiritual leader of a militant group in Bangladesh He was inspired by Anwar al Awlaki who had been killed by the US He was suspected of building an Islamist terror network in Bangladesh for about minimum 5 years They shared their views on a website called Ansarulla Bangla Team The server of the website was located in Pakistan Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani was the Imam of Hatembagh mosque Dhanmondi 14 The organization has a presence on Facebook where it publishes propaganda and names its targets Many of its supporters online are also supporters of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir and Bangladesh Jamaat e Islami 15 Militant activity EditMurders Edit The ABT claimed responsibility for some of the prominent murders and attacks of atheist bloggers including Ahmed Rajib Haider Asif Mohiuddin Avijit Roy Oyasiqur Rahman Ananta Bijoy Das and AKM Shafiul Islam On 21 November two of the men sentenced to death for the murder of Avijit Roy escaped from a courtroom in Dhaka assisted by men on motorbikes armed with chemical sprays 16 Ashulia bank robbery Edit The ABT was implicated in a bank robbery of a branch of the Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited in Ashulia of Savar on April 21 2015 The robbery started at 3 pm when 8 10 people entered the bank brandishing guns According to witness reports they tried to take Tk 5 lakhs US 6 400 as of June 2015 while holding bank officials hostage at gunpoint However as some of the officials obstructed the robbers they were stabbed injuring 5 of which 3 succumbed to their injuries in medical care 17 a bank manager a security officer and a bank customer However at that point locals outside quickly used a nearby mosque with loudspeakers to announce the bank robbery The robbers heard the announcements and started violently fleeing the area using several rounds of shots hurling molotov cocktails and grenades This sudden outburst injured some 20 people 3 of whom died immediately after hospital admission 2 later while receiving treatment at around 8 30 pm and one more person on the next night 17 18 The robbers divided and fled the scene some on foot and some on motorcycles A mob quickly formed and caught 2 robbers on one bike and another robber in another area In a mass beating of the two caught the mob killed one and hospitalised the other who later succumbed to his injuries The police attempted to recover the robbers but this led to a clash and two police vehicles being vandalised Arrival of police backup put the situation under control and the robbers captured 17 19 A total of 9 people were either killed immediately or succumbed to injuries sustained and at least 14 others were at most injured by bullet wounds from weapons used by the robbers Interrogation of the captured robber s led to the arrest of more suspects police found that several of the robbers were members of the ABT Arrests EditThe following arrests were made of speculated or confirmed ABT members as of 1 June 2015 Asif Mohiuddin s attempted murder 13 January 2013 attack 1 April 2013 arrests 20 Saad al Nahin 24 student Kawsar Ahmed 23 hawker Kamal Uddin 23 carpenter Kamal Hossain 28 bank security guard Ahmed Rajib Haider s murder 15 February 2013 attack 2 March 2013 arrests of five North South University students 21 Redwanul Azad Rana 32 Faisal bin Nayeem alias Dwip 24 Maksudul Hassan Anik 25 Ehsan Reza Rumman 25 Naim Sikder Irad 21 Nafis Imtiaz 24 ABT arrests 12 August 2013 Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani Suspected chief of the ABT 30 others Ashulia bank robbery 21 April 2015 19 22 Al Amin Hossain 21 April 2015 arrest A robber caught by the locals Mahfuzul Islam Shamim 30 April 2015 arrest The operation commander of the Ashulia bank robbery an ex member of the banned Jama atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and confessor of crimes including robbery and murder of a bKash vendor on 10 March 2015 Two others killed as a result of mass beating by a mob Secret meeting attendees at Dhaka 13 June 2016 23 Md Mozahidul Islam responsible for recruiting and inviting new members into ABT arrested via Detective Branch on a crackdown 24 Md Ariful Islam Solaiman alias Arafat responsible for recruiting and inviting new members into ABT arrested via Detective Branch on a crackdown 25 Sentences EditMain article Attacks on secularists in Bangladesh In December 2015 several members of ABT were sentenced for the murder of activist Ahmed Rajib Haider including Faisal bin Nayem alias Dweep sentenced to death Rezwanul Azad Rana sentenced to death in absentia Jasim Uddin Rahmani 5 years imprisonment Taka 2 000 fine Maksudul Hasan life imprisonment in absentiaBan EditThe outfit was planned to be banned in 2013 alongside 9 others 26 but the ban on the ABT was not enacted at the time After a police request for a ban following an investigation report of the bank heist two years later the Ministry of Home Affairs officially banned them on 25 May 2015 6 7 27 References Edit https www satp org terrorist profile bangladesh islamistterrorism ansarullah bangla team abt https www satp org terrorist profile bangladesh islamistterrorism ansarullah bangla team abt https www gov uk government publications proscribed terror groups or organisations 2 proscribed terrorist groups or organisations accessible version https www state gov reports country reports on terrorism 2021 bangladesh Al Qaeda branch claims responsibility for murder of writer blogger Avijit Roy Rab police doubt reported claim The Daily Star Transcom Group May 4 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 05 05 Retrieved May 5 2015 a b c Ansarullah Bangla Team banned Dhaka Tribune May 25 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 05 27 Retrieved June 1 2015 a b Militant Ansarullah Bangla Team banned Prothom Alo Transcom Group May 25 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 05 27 Retrieved June 2 2015 Blogger Rajib s killers linked to al Qaeda DB The Daily Star Transcom Group March 15 2013 Archived from the original on 2013 03 18 Retrieved June 2 2015 The North South University students were working under a new born extremist militant organisation Ansarullah Bengali Team 4 held over attempt to kill blogger The Daily Star Transcom Group April 2 2013 Archived from the original on 2013 05 23 Retrieved June 1 2015 Ansar Bangla 7 claims Avijit killing responsibility Prothom Alo Transcom Group February 27 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 06 02 Retrieved May 16 2015 Dearden Lizzie March 30 2015 An atheist blogger has been hacked to death in Bangladesh for the second time this year The Independent Archived from the original on 2015 05 18 Retrieved May 16 2015 Bangladesh arrests three men including Briton over murders of secular bloggers The Guardian August 18 2015 Archived from the original on 2017 02 15 Retrieved February 13 2017 Islamist group claim responsibility of RU teacher murder bdnews24 com November 16 2014 Archived from the original on 2015 05 18 Retrieved May 16 2015 Manik Julfikar Ali August 14 2013 Preaching militancy building network The Daily Star Archived from the original on 2016 03 03 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Khan Mohammad Jamil Shaon Ashif Islam November 17 2014 Cyber jihadis claim second murder Dhaka Tribune Archived from the original on 2017 02 14 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Two Islamist killers of US blogger escape from Bangladesh court The Guardian Reuters November 21 2022 a b c Hossain Nadim April 21 2015 8 killed in Ashulia bank robbery Dhaka Tribune Archived from the original on 2015 05 24 Retrieved June 2 2015 One more die in Ashulia bank robbery incident Dhaka Tribune April 24 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 04 26 Retrieved June 2 2015 a b Dhruba Golam Mujtaba June 1 2015 Police analyse robber s blueprints of Bangladesh Commerce Bank bdnews24 com Archived from the original on 2015 06 02 Retrieved June 2 2015 https www thedailystar net news 4 held over attempt to kill blogger https www thedailystar net frontpage 2 get death 6 others jail term 195412 bKash agent hacked to death bdnews24 com March 10 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 07 15 Retrieved June 2 2015 Police claim arresting two Ansarullah Bangla Team militants from Dhaka bdnews24 com June 14 2016 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link https www dhakatribune com bangladesh crime 549 two ansarullah men held in dhaka https www dhakatribune com bangladesh crime 549 two ansarullah men held in dhaka Sarkar Kailash August 21 2013 Ten Islamist outfits to face ban Dhaka Tribune Archived from the original on 2015 05 31 Retrieved June 2 2015 Islam Rozina May 22 2015 Militant Ansarullah Bangla Team to be banned Prothom Alo Transcom Group Archived from the original on 2015 05 26 Retrieved June 2 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ansarullah Bangla Team amp oldid 1171188268, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
