Ex-Army Member Held in Moulvibazar Over Extremist Links

Moulvibazar, Bangladesh — Police in Bangladesh’s Moulvibazar district say they have arrested a former army member alleged to have links with a banned extremist organisation and who was reportedly attempting to flee across the India-Bangladesh border.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Rahed Hossain Mahed, was detained during what police described as a special intelligence-led operation in the remote Bobarthol Shaitghori area of Barlekha upazila on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a police statement, Mahed is an expelled member of the Bangladesh Army and is alleged to be associated with the banned extremist group “Maktabah Al Himmah Addawatul Islamiyah”.

Authorities said the operation followed a nationwide intelligence alert issued by Police Headquarters on 23 April 2026 over concerns about possible extremist attacks targeting key state installations, including the National Parliament and security agencies.

Police claimed they received confidential information suggesting the suspect had been attempting to cross illegally into India through the border region.

A special police team, led by Barlekha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Moniruzzaman Khan and acting under the direction of Moulvibazar Superintendent of Police Mohammad Riazul Islam, carried out the operation.

After nearly 12 hours of what officials described as a “high-alert search operation”, police said the suspect was arrested at around 2:30pm from a remote hill area near the border.

Authorities later confirmed that the detainee had previously been identified as an accused in an ongoing investigation conducted by Bangladesh’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit. The case is linked to Shahbag Police Station in Dhaka under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Police said the suspect was handed over to the CTTC unit later the same night for further legal proceedings.

In a preliminary interrogation, investigators claim the suspect provided “important information” regarding alleged extremist activities and networks.

Officials also said the suspect had reportedly gone into hiding following the national red alert and had recently attempted to leave the country illegally.

The allegations against him have not yet been tested in court.

EN/SA