Shawdesh Desk:

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested Atiqullah, a top leader of the banned militant outfit Harkat ul Jihad (Huji), from Khilkhet area in the capital.

Detained Atiqullah was also a close aide to slain Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and had been maintained contact with top global terrorist leaders.

Conducting a raid, the members of the CTTC arrested Atiqullah along with his two associates from a field of Boro Masjid of Nikunja-2 under Khilkhet on Wednesday.

The arrestees are identified as Md Atiqullah alias Asadullah alias Julfikar (49), Md Borhan Uddin Rabbani(42) and Mohammad Nazimuddin alias  Shamim (43).

CTTC unit chief Monirul Islam said, in their primary interrogation, they were informed that Atiqullah alias Asadullah alias Julfikar was the general secretary of Huji formed by Mufti Hannan in 1966.

Later, he served as the responsible person of the Batiul Mal and International Relations Department.

During the last caretaker government regime, Atiqullah went into hiding and reached Saudi Arabia via Dubai. He also went to Pakistan on many occasions for organisational works.

During the interrogation, Atiqullah admitted that he is an Afghan returned fighter and bomb expert, Monirul added.

During the Afghanistan war, he sat in meetings with many global top terrorist leaders including Osama Bin Laden, Mollah Omar, Ayman al-Zawahiri.