Police to write to ban Ansar-Al-Islam

Counter terrorism and transnational crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Monirul Islam on Wednesday said that police will write to the home ministry to take necessary steps to ban Islamic extremist outfit Ansar-Al-Islam, an alleged Bangladesh chapter of al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent.

A maulana runs Ansar-Al-Islam and Major (dismissed) Syed M Ziaul Haq is one of the coordinators of its operational wing, said the CT boss to journalists at DMP media centre in Dhaka, without disclosing the names.

The organisation has been formed in September 2014 through a blog site ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team’ which was banned by the government later, Islam said.

The blog site of Ansarullah Bangla Team has been used by Ansar-Al-Islam to establish communication with its members and followers, the police official claimed.

Ansar-Al-Islam has three sections dawa, ashkari or operation and media under its chief, he said.

Through a home ministry circular, the government banned the Ansarullah Bangla Team for its militant and anti-state activities on May 25, 2015.