Bangladesh arrests garment factory owner for funding militants

Bangladesh police said today they have arrested a wealthy businessman, who was a senior member of the Islamist group which carried out the country's worst terror attack at a popular cafe that killed 22 people, who included an 18-year-old Indian woman vacationing in Dhaka.
Imran Ahmed, the owner of a garment factory, and his driver Shamim Mia were arrested near the capital Dhaka during a raid last night, the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said.
Ahmed admitted to have funded the neo-JMB (Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh) and helped the group in procuring weapons and explosives, a RAB spokesman told reporters.

The 37-year-old businessman was a member of the neo-JMB's policymaking body and played an important role in recruiting operatives for the extremist group.
Arms and jihadi texts were seized from the two persons.
Another RAB official familiar with the development said Ahmed was pursued by security forces for providing shelter to a JMB operative who had escaped a security raid two months ago in northeastern Sylhet city where four militants were killed.

Two policemen were also killed in that operation.
Since 2013, Bangladesh has witnessed a number of Islamist attacks on foreigners, liberals and religious minority with the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda making competing claims.

The government has consistently dismissed their claims, saying foreign terrorist groups have no presence in Bangladesh and the attacks were carried out by homegrown outfits.
In the deadliest terrorist attack in the country, 22 people, including 18 foreigners, were killed when militants stormed the upscale Holey Artisan Bakery and Kitchen restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic zone on July 1 last year.
An Indian woman was also among the victims of the attack.
The country's security forces have since launched a major crackdown against militants, killing 70 extremists in the past year.