May 16, Kathmandu - Bangladesh’s counter-terrorism police have initiated an investigation into a former soldier detained last month following a warning of potential attacks targeting airports, parliament, and religious sites. 

Mohammad Rahad Hossen Mehed, who was found hiding near the Indian border, was arrested by police at a checkpoint in Maulvibazar district’s Mulbazar area, according to police chief Mohammad Moniruzzaman.

Counter-terrorism officials revealed that 23-year-old Mehed is being interrogated and is allegedly linked to an extremist Islamic group. “The individual is a dismissed army member and was inspired by the ideology of the banned organization Doulatul Islam Neo-JMB,” the police said in a statement issued on Friday night.

Following a security alert at airports in late April, authorities heightened security measures, and the search has been ongoing since then.

Police warned that the suspect might attempt to carry out attacks using “sharp weapons, guns, or explosives” on major establishments such as airports, parliament, and religious sites.

Bangladesh has periodically been targeted by domestic militant groups inspired by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Notably, in 2016, a bombing at a bakery in Dhaka resulted in 22 deaths. During that period, militants linked to Al-Qaeda also killed several secular writers and activists, including American citizen of Bangladeshi origin Abhijit Roy.

In 2021, five individuals were sentenced to death for the murder of a secular blogger, highlighting ongoing threats from extremist factions.