1. Bangladesh’s release of Jashimuddin Rahmani, ABT leader, raises concerns in India.
2. ABT, an al-Qaida affiliate, aims to set up a jihadi network in Assam and Tripura.
3. The group has used sleeper cells to infiltrate and destabilize these regions.
Guwahati, Aug 28: The release of Jashimuddin Rahmani, leader of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)—an al-Qaida-affiliated terror group—by Bangladesh’s interim government has raised concerns in NorthEast India, especially in Assam and Tripura.
ABT has been attempting to establish a jihadi network in these regions using sleeper cells.
Rahmani, jailed for the 2013 murder of blogger Rajib Haider, was released on parole from Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail in Gazipur on August 26, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.
India has seen several arrests of ABT-linked terrorists. In May 2023, Assam Police apprehended Bahar Mia and Rarely Mia, two ABT operatives, at Guwahati railway station.
According to sources, the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has reportedly collaborated with ABT to conduct terrorist activities in India’s northeastern states. In 2022, LeT and ABT tried establishing a base in Bengal to launch attacks within India.
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Intelligence reports also indicate that 50 to 100 ABT cadres planned to infiltrate Tripura. Assam Police have repeatedly thwarted ABT’s efforts to set up networks in Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma noted that ABT jihadis use highly encrypted communication tools to evade detection.
ABT is affiliated with al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which is banned in India.
