Bangladesh Police Arrest 8,200 in Crackdown
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bangladesh police said Monday they have arrested more than 8,000 people in a nationwide crackdown on militants launched after a series of murders targeting minorities and secular activists.
Police Spokesman Kamrul Ahsan said 3,245 more suspects had been arrested in the last 24 hours, raising the total number to 8,192 since the campaign began Friday, AFP reported.
Deputy inspector general AKM Shahidur Rahman said only 34 of those arrested on the third day of the campaign were militants and the others were ordinary criminal suspects.
“Most of those who have been detained have warrants of arrests against them or they are charged with narcotics, arms and other criminal offences,” he said.
Police said members of the banned group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were among the arrestees in the latest security sweep.
The Bangladeshi government blames the JMB for a spate of gruesome murders in recent months. The government rejects claims of responsibility by the Daesh (also known as ISIL and ISIS) terrorist group and a branch of al-Qaeda, saying international terror groups have no presence in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has come under international pressure to end the ongoing attacks, which have killed 50 people, including members of religious minorities and liberal activists, over the past three years.
