Maulana Sheikh Abdus Salam, founder of Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-B) was arrested on Nov 2, 2009 in Dhaka for his involvement in the grenade attack on a rally organized by the Awami League (AL) on Aug 21, 2004 with the intent to assassinate Sheikh Hasina. However, most of Salam’s fellow Afghan war veterans who were with him during launching of HUJI-B (on Apr 30, 1992) are still at large.
HUJI-B was formed on the pattern of the Taliban of Afghanistan with the objective of turning Bangladesh into an Islamic state. It sent about 5000 Bangladeshis to Afghanistan initially to help the Hizb-e-Islami group of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. After abandoning Hekmatyar in 1995, they joined the Taliban-fold. It also sent a group to Kashmir to fight for Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA). When the US declared HuA as an international terrorist organization, it split into Harkat ul Mujahideen and Harkat ul Jehad al Islami.
A group of HUJI-B activists along with Afghan Taliban was captured by the Northern Alliance forces of Rabbani (Masud faction) near the Afghan-Iran border in 1997 and displayed before UN representatives as proof of foreign connections of the Taliban. Back at home in Bangladesh, HuJI-B faced a ban in 2005. Under growing pressure, Khaleda Zia government of BNP led Four Party Alliance even arrested some of its leaders.
Interrogations of HUJI-B leaders arrested in connection with the Aug 21, 2004 attack has revealed their links with Pak based LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) as well as the international terrorist network of Al Qaeda. They also identified former BNP ministers Altaf Hossen Chowdhury, Lutfozzaman Babar and Ruhul Quddus Talukder as well as JEI Amir Matiur Rahman Nizami as some of their patrons.
The linkage between HUJI-B and Al Qaeda goes back to 1998 when Fazlul Rahman signed a Fatwa declaring ‘holy war’ on the US. Other signatories to the Fatwa included Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Aiyman al Zawahiri, leader of the Jihad Group of Egypt and second in command of Al Qaeda, Rifat Ahmad Taha alias Abu Yasir of Egyptian Islamic Group and Sheikh Mir Hammah, Secretary of Jamiatul Ulema-e-Pakistan.
HUJI-B militants carried out an attack on the American Center in Kolkata in 2002. Interrogation of those arrested for the attack revealed that Aftab Ansari, a leader of Asif Reza Commando Force, an organization allied to HUJI-B, had played a key role in the Jul 25, 2001 abduction of Kolkata-based businessman Partha Pratim Roy Barman, who was became free reportedly after paying a ransom (about Indian Rupees 3.75 crore in Dubai through the Hawala network).
Out of this money, Omar Sheikh wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, leader of the hijackers in the 9/11 multiple terrorist attacks on New York’s iconic Twin Towers
The US State Department, in an executive order (Mar 5, 2008), designated HUJI-B as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
