HuJi leader Sufian arrested in Magura

He was a close associate of HuJi chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, police and intelligence sources said.

Abu Sufian was sent to a madrasa in Faridpur district to study Islamic theology. There he joined militant groups and went to Afghanistan to fight Soviet soldiers as a Mujahid, according to intelligence sources.

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Sufian was hit with bullets in the head and knee while fighting in Afghanistan, sources said. Villagers in Khamarpara are also aware of his activities as a 'mujahid' in Afghanistan.

'On several occasions I heard stories about Afghan war from Sufian. It was exciting when he used to narrate how he faced Soviet solders', a villager told this correspondent seeking anonymity.

Intelligence sources said Sufian was arrested along with 39 other militants on December 17, 1999 by army when he was training militants at a camp in a jungle in Rangamiat. He was released on bail following an order from higher court.

He was again arrested by BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) when he tried to cross the border illegally to go to Afghanistan after US solders attacked Afghanistan. This time he also managed to get released, sources said.

Sufian was seen in the area before the August 17 bomb blasts across the country last year. He was absconding since the blasts, police said.