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The Detective Branch arrested Maulana Md Monsur Ali, also known as Habibullah, suspected of being an organiser of the Bangladesh unit of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, at Dakkhin Khan in Dhaka on Monday, three days after the arrest of the most wanted Indian militant Mufti Sheikh Obaidullah.
The police said a Detective Branch squad, led by assistant deputy commissioner Md Mahbub Alam and assistant commissioner Sanwar Hossain, arrested Habibullah at Sawdagarbari of Dakkhin Khan.
Habibullah was later on Tuesday remanded in custody for seven days for interrogation in connection with a case filed over illegal entry into Bangladesh. He was produced before in a court with a prayer for him to be remanded for 10 days.
Habibullah had entered Bangladesh through the Bagdah border of India in 1995 to take refuge and escape arrest in India few months before his disciple Mufti Obaidullah entered Bangladesh.
He received training in handling of modern firearms including AK-47 Rifles, machine guns, rifles of other kinds, rocket launchers, BN-50 and anti-aircraft guns, among others, and fought in the Afgan war against the Soviet Union 25 times.
The most wanted Maulana Habibullah used to keep contact with at least five top leaders of the banned Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh, including Mufti Abdul Hannan and Maulana Abdur Rauf, and Indian militants including Mufti Obaidullah and Shahjahan, reportedly staying in Bangladesh.
Several Detective Branch teams are now conducting raids on places in different district and in Dhaka to arrest Habibullah's associates, who are now staying in Bangladesh.
During his 14-year stay in Bangladesh, he had taught in several madrashas — Nurani Madrassah in the Morali crossing and Indragram Madrassah at Bagharpara in Jessore, Porasundar Madrassah in Habiganj, Tikorpur Madrassah at Nawabganj and Madrassahtur Rahman at Dakhhin Khan in Dhaka
As part of a move to organise the Bangladeshi unit of the Kashmir-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, he took up teaching in madrassah and changed his job to move from one place to another. He married a Bangladeshi woman and he has a son and a daughter. He had stayed with his family at Dakhhin Khan in Dhaka for long.
Habibullah did his matriculation from Mama Bhagina High School at Bagdah in 1973, higher secondary from Helencha Bazar College in 1975, bachelor's from Bansha Dinabandhu College at 24 Parganas in West Bengal, Indian, in 1977.
He later took up a job in the Indian railway where he came in touch with some religious teachers or maulanas.
The maulanas took him to Deoband Madrassah, one of the largest in the world located in Uttar Pradesh in India where he studied Arabic Qaida in 1984 and went to Pakistan and studied Dawa Hadith at Darul Ulum Takwa Madrassah in Islamabad in 1991.
He fought in the Afghan war 25 times when he was studying Dawa Hadith. He was trained in handling modern firearms and he started making bombs for use in the Afghan war.
Habibullah returned to India after the Afgan war and met some others who returned from the Afghan war.. They together decided to organise militants in different Indian provinces to carry out 'jihad' against the orthodox Hindus to take revenge of human torture on the Muslims.
He also held a secret meeting with Asif Reza Khan, Maulana Jalal and Abdullah to mobilise people for 'jihad.' At that time, he trained scores of young people in handling firearms and sent them to the Kashmir war on behalf of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Asif Reza Khan, Mostafa and some others were arrested at one point by the Indian law enforcement agency. Maulana Habibullah came into limelight at the time and Indian law enforcers launched drives to arrest him. Habibullah, who was the main organiser of the Asif Commando Force, came to Bangladesh in 1995 to take shelter.
Detective Branch deputy commissioner Monirul Islam provided the bits of information on him at a briefing on Tuesday. Assistant deputy commissioners Mahbub and Walid were present.
Monirul said, 'Habibullah knows Bangladesh better than Mufti Obaidullah does as Habibullah had entered Bangladesh before Obaidullah did. Habibullah has been in touch with at least five Harkat-ul-Jihad leaders and he had for long worked to mobilise people for militant organisations. Habibullah maintained relations with international militant Khurram.'
Asked how he had crossed the border into Bangladesh, Monirul, quoting Habibullah, said Habibullah had paid Rs 100 for the job.
'If you pay me Rs 25, I will keep an eye closed and when you cross the border, the other eye can see you and I may capture you. But if you pay me Rs 100, I will keep both the eyes closed and you can do whatever you want,' Monirul quoted Habibullah as saying what the border guards had told him.
He said they had elicited some bits of vital information from Habibullah and Obaidullah, but declined details in the interest of investigation.
He said, 'Obaidullah is likely to be sent to the Task Force for Interrogation cell.'
Habibullah, talking with the media, claimed he is a Bangladeshi citizen as he was born in his maternal uncle's house at Jhikargachha in Jessore and studied in India.
He claimed he has no relations with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad. 'I came to Bangladesh in 1995 to stay here. I did not take part in any militant attacks in Bangladesh or India.'
'But I worked for the Asif Reza Commando Force, a Pakistan's Kashmir-based militant organisation.. I went to India in 1995 for the last time. I will not maintain contact with any Indian or Bangladeshi militant organisations. I have relations with five Harkat-ul-Jihad leaders including Mufti Abdul Hannan and Maulana Abdur Rauf, but I do not work for them.'
'I used to keep in touch with Indian militants Abdullah alias Khurram, Mufti Obaidullah, Shahjahan and some others, who were residing in Bangladesh. But, to the best of my knowledge, none of them are now staying in Bangladesh. Khurram and Shahjahan went to India a few days ago,' he said.
http://www.newagebd.com/2009/jul/22/front.html