M'sia to assist Bangladesh in IS-linked militancy probe

The Bangladeshi government has sought Malaysia’s cooperation in its own investigation into allegations of militancy among Bangladeshi nationals.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia said this was one of the matters discussed during a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh’s foreign adviser Touhid Hossain and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan yesterday.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 32nd Asean Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting, also saw Touhid expressing his concerns with the arrests of Bangladeshi nationals in Malaysia over allegations of terrorism.

“The Malaysian foreign minister assured to facilitate access and cooperation to the Bangladesh authorities (through) exchange of information and findings,” the high commission said in a statement.

Malaysian authorities previously uncovered a foreign militant network linked to Bangladeshi nationals, with the group, known as the Bangladeshi Radical Militant Group (GMRB), aimed at spreading extremist ideology rooted in Islamic State (IS) beliefs.

The police had dismantled the network with the arrest of 36 Bangladeshi nationals suspected of direct involvement in the radical movement.

The arrests were made in a three-phase security operation in Selangor and Johor starting April 24.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail later confirmed that no Malaysians were recruited into the network, noting that the group’s activities were focused on violent extremism with the objective of toppling the government in Bangladesh.

Last week, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail said GMRB collected funds by charging an annual membership fee of RM500 per person, as well as other voluntary contributions based on members’ financial means.

Initial investigations revealed the group had between 100 and 150 members, all Bangladeshi nationals working in labour sectors such as factories, construction sites, and petrol stations across Malaysia.

Khalid said police are still investigating the amount of funds channelled by the group to IS networks in Syria and Bangladesh.

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