Neo JMB's spiritual leader Maulana Abul Kashem arrested in Dhaka

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police have arrested banned militant outfit Neo JMB's spiritual leader Maulana Abul Kashem.

At a press briefing on Friday, Counter-terrorism unit chief Monirul Islam said, Kashem was arrested from Dhaka's Senparha Parbata area around 11 pm on Thursday. Kashem was working as a principle at a Madrasha in Dinajpur's Ranibandar area, said police. According to DMP, the mastermind of the Holey Artisan cafe attack in Gulshan, Tamim Chowdhury, who was killed in Narayanganj drive, joined hands with Kashem and formed Neo JMB in Bangladesh in 2013.

Police claimed that Kashem was involved with the mainstream JMB since 1998. He made the outfit more violent by using his own ideology in the context of Bangladesh in different activities of the organisation. He also led the outfit for some time after its chief Maulana Saidur Rahman was arrested in 2009. A number of top Neo JMB leaders including its chief Tamim Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Marjan, Sohel Mahfuz and northern regional commander Rajib Gandhi were his followers.