Youth held in Jashore over alleged extremist links

Jashore
Jashore District Police’s Detective Branch (DB) has arrested a 19-year-old youth in Jashore over alleged involvement with extremist activities and handed him over to the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit for further investigation.

The arrestee Tahsin Islam, 19, was arrested during a raid at his home in the Kismat Noapara area of Jashore Sadar Upazila at around 9:00 pm on Thursday. According to DB police, Tahsin is the son of Wahidul Islam of the same area. 

Police recovered a machete, several wires, and a number of electronic devices from his room during the raid.

Jashore Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Mirazul Islam said that Tahsin was detained in connection with an investigation into a case filed by the CTTC unit in Dhaka. He added that Tahsin is also an accused in a previously filed robbery case, in which he is listed as the third accused.

During preliminary questioning, Tahsin admitted to having links with an organisation known as Fatah Combat System (FCS), the police official said. However, based on the information provided by the detainee, investigators have so far found no evidence of active members or organisational activities of the group in Jashore.

Mirazul Islam said that Tahsin would be formally handed over to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s CTTC after completion of the required legal procedures.

On July 5, the CTTC detained six youths in Dhaka's Jatrabari area on suspicion of gathering to carry out extremist activities. Investigators later said they had uncovered information about the activities of a network during the course of that investigation.

According to law enforcement agencies, Fatah Combat System (FCS) has been accused of using martial arts training as a cover to radicalise and recruit young people into extremist activities.