12 of 23 detained at Tejgaon mosque planned militant group: Home Minister

Twelve of the 23 people detained from a mosque at Tejgaon College in Dhaka were planning to form an extremist organisation called “Ittihadul Ummah” and organise for militant activities, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said Sunday (September 20).

Speaking at a briefing at the Secretariat, the minister said the information emerged from interrogation and forensic examination of the detainees’ mobile phones.

Police detained 23 people from the mosque in Farmgate on Friday after receiving intelligence that a group was holding a meeting there. The detainees were subsequently taken into custody for questioning.

According to the minister, forensic checks and questioning found no significant evidence against 11 of them, who were later handed over to their guardians.

The remaining 12, however, were allegedly found to have been planning to establish the organisation with the stated aim of establishing a caliphate and organising extremist activities, he said.

The 12 suspects were placed on three-day remand by a Dhaka court on Saturday after investigators sought further time to question them. Police said they also need to examine digital evidence and communications to determine the alleged network and identify possible associates.

Salahuddin said the government was maintaining a “zero tolerance” policy toward militancy and expected further information to emerge during the investigation.