Rohingya youth held over ‘TTP link’

Police in Cox’s Bazar have arrested a Rohingya youth for alleged links with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a Pakistan-based militant group.

Officials said this marks the first reported case of suspected TTP communication with a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh.

A team from Teknaf Model Police Station apprehended Mahmudullah, 19, from Camp 24 on Monday and seized an Android mobile phone.

Case documents state that the device showed his connection to a WhatsApp group named “Haqeeqat News” (in Urdu), operated by TTP, through his social media ID “Ayatullah BD alias Amhed”.

“He has been regularly maintaining the communication through social media and WhatsApp to carry out militant activities at home and abroad,” the case statement read.

Investigators believe the group is run by two TTP leaders, with objectives including disrupting internal security, supporting terrorist activities, and inciting the Rohingya community through propaganda.

Teknaf police filed a case over Mahmudullah’s arrest under the Anti-Terrorism Act yesterday.

Mahmudullah was produced before a Cox’s Bazar court, which sent him to jail, Sub-Inspector Shuvo Mitra Talukder, the investigation officer, told The Daily Star.

Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Wahidur Rahman said, “He was arrested based on intelligence regarding his suspected links to TTP.”

During preliminary interrogation, Mahmudullah confessed to maintaining contact with TTP members, according to the case statement.

Case documents note that his phone contained images and messages shared by the group, allegedly intended to incite militant activities. He also admitted to disseminating such content inside Rohingya camps with associates.

Investigators suspect Mahmudullah may have links to the student wing of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and possibly its armed wing.

Reports of Bangladeshi individuals joining TTP surfaced last year.

Intelligence officials said at least a dozen people have left Bangladesh to join the group, with three killed while fighting alongside TTP operatives.

Special Branch’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Intelligence (CTTI) unit confirmed that on September 26 last year, two Bangladeshi youths -- Ratan Dhali, 29, and Foysal Hossain, 22 -- were killed by Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Earlier, on April 27 last year, another Bangladeshi, Ahmed Jubair alias Juboraj, was also killed in similar circumstances.

Officials further said they have identified an active network inside Bangladesh recruiting individuals for TTP.

On April 29, police detectives arrested four men -- Imran Chowdhury, 29, his brother Mostakim Chowdhury, 25, Ripon Hossain Sheikh, 28, and Abu Bakar, 25 -- with firearms, bullets, explosives, and a drone during drives in Dhaka for alleged TTP links.