Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani

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Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani
Born Barguna District, Bangladesh[ citation needed ]
OccupationHead of Ansarullah Bangla Team
ParentsNoor Hawlader

Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani is chief of the Al Qaeda affiliated, [1] radical Islamist organization Ansarullah Bangla Team. [2] He was in custody in Bangladesh charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. [3] He advocated the murder of atheists. [4]

Contents

Militant activity

He was the Imam of Hatembagh Jame Masjid in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [5] He studied in madrasas in Bangladesh and outside the country. He was inspired by Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki. He used to preach his message on a website called "Ansarulla Bangla Team" whose servers are located in Pakistan. Ansarullah Bangla Team was responsible for the murder of a number of secular activist in Bangladesh. [6] He has a madrassa located in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. The Madrasa was visited by students from Dhaka University and North South University. Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was a regular at the Madrasa, he is currently in prison in the United States for trying to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. [7]

Arrest and release

Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani was arrested on 12 August 2013 from Barguna, Bangladesh along with 30 members of his organisation for inciting people to commit violent jihad. [8] [7] He was sentenced to a five-year prison sentence. [9]

The Bangladesh Interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus granted bail in all terrorism related cases, and released Rahmani in August 2024. [10] [11] He had been in jail over the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider. [11]

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References

  1. "Ansarullah's Gazipur chief, another held". Dhaka Tribune. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  2. "Foreign ties to Gulshan attack under scrutiny". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. "Court accepts charges against ABT chief, 9 others". The Daily Star. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  4. "Two sentenced to death for Bangladesh blogger murder". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  5. Anand, Geeta; Manik, Julfikar Ali (8 June 2016). "Bangladesh Says It Now Knows Who's Killing the Bloggers". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. "Preaching militancy, building network". The Daily Star. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 Khan, Tamanna; Das, Subir (14 August 2013). "Progressive force its prime target". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  8. "Bangladesh's Ansarullah Bangla Team – Analysis". Eurasia Review. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  9. "3 militant leaders' trial awaits government nod". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  10. "Ansarullah Bangla Team chief freed on bail". The Daily Star. 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  11. 1 2 "Ansarullah chief Mufti Jasim, jailed over murder of blogger Rajib, freed on bail". Bdnews24.com . Retrieved 2024-08-26.