Agencies on alert after arrest of men linked to al Qaeda

NEW DELHI: The two Bangladesh nationals caught by the Border Security Force two months ago as they tried to sneak over the border into the state of Mizoram are members of Ansar al-islam, an al Qaeda affiliated group known for carrying out violent attacks on Bangladeshi civil society figures and writers it deems enemies of Islam, two officials familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

This is the first time the presence of Ansar al-islam is being registered in India and it has set alarm bells ringing in intelligence agencies.

Last week, following up on this, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case to probe if there was a larger conspiracy to carry out attacks in the country.

The group, also known as the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in Bangladesh, is behind a series of murders there since 2013, including of writers, members of religious minorities, social activists and foreign aid workers.

An NIA official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mahmud Hassan, a resident of Narsingdi Sadar in Bangladesh, and Mohammad Sayad Hussan, a native of Magura in Bangladesh, were caught by BSF on July 27 while they were crossing the border into Mamit district of Mizoram. “They were carrying fake Indian Aadhaar cards which were prepared in Bangladesh which means there was a plan to stay here for longer. Ansar al-islam is a dangerous organization in Bangladesh and has perpetrated several attacks in past few years. It was banned by the Bangladesh government in 2017. We are investigating if they were planning to form a base here and create some disturbance in northeastern states.”

The central agency registered a case on September 17 and is in the process of taking custody of Hussan and Hassan to question them on the group’s plans.

Indian intelligence agencies don’t want to take the risk of the Ansar al-islam setting up a base in the country even as it faces a crackdown in Bangladesh.

“It has happened in the past. Jamaat-ul-mujahideen (JMB), a group affiliated with ISIS set up training centres and a base in West Bengal in 2013-14. The NIA launched a crackdown on JMB in which over 50 of its members were nabbed and the outfit wasn’t allowed to spread its wings,” said the second official, who also requested anonymity.

The Iraq chapter of Ansar al-islam, earlier known as Jund al-islam, was formed by Osama Bin Laden in 2001 in Afghanistan with an estimated $300,000 to $ 600,000 in seed money, according to the UN Security Council sanctions committee listing. Its members received training and logistical assistance from the Al-qaeda.

“Ansar al-islam also cooperated closely with Al Qaeda operative Ahmad Fadil Nazal al-khalayleh (deceased), also known as Abu Musab al-zarqawi, whose network established a poisons and explosives training center in northeastern Iraq controlled by Ansar al-islam. Zarqawi’s lieutenants helped run this camp, which has taught operatives how to produce ricin and other poisons. Ansar al-islam has conducted attacks in northeastern Iraq. This organization has been located and primarily active in northern Iraq, but also maintained a presence in western and central Iraq,” states the UNSC document.

The Bangladesh government, according to reports in Dhakabased newspapers, has denied Ansar al-islam Bangladesh has links with any international terror organisation.