At least three Pakistani Taliban militants have been arrested in Bangladesh. According to the law enforcers, they came to reinvigorate the Islamist militant movement here.
Two of them, aged between 25 and 50, had a laptop containing manuals on bomb making and operating firearms. They were detained Sunday night in front of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, the Daily Star reported Monday.
Osman, Mehmud and Fakhrul were members of the banned militant outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of detective branch of police, at a press briefing in the capital.
These Pakistani citizens were recruited by the TTP and were given training to take part in war. They came to Bangladesh to participate in jihad, Monirul added.
“Their key aim was to re-energise the stalled militant movement here in Bangladesh,” said Monirul.
On Dec 20, 2013, the militant outfit threatened to attack the Bangladesh high commission in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah.
The TTP claimed responsibility Monday for attacking security forces in Rawalpindi city, which killed 13 people and injured 17 others.
The bombing took place a day after the TTP attacked a convoy of soldiers in Bannu district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Sunday, in which more than 20 soldiers were killed and 38 others injured.