Syria-returnee 'militant' held in Ctg
Police have arrested a Syria-returnee "militant" from Khulshi residential area of Chattogram on Friday night.
The arrestee -- Shakhawat Ali Lalu, 40 -- went to Syria four years ago and returned home on 22 March. Here, he joined banned militant outfit Ansar-al-Islam as an information technology specialist, police claimed.
Shah Abdur Rauf, additional deputy commissioner (public relations) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), confirmed the arrest to The Business Standard.
Acting on tip-off, a Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit team conducted a drive in Khuslhi area at midnight and arrested Lalu.
A passport, a mobile set, a tab, a mini notebook, and some documents were seized from his possession.
Later, Rasib Khan, a sub-inspector of the police's CTTC unit, filed a case with Khulshi Police Station over the incident.
According to the CMP, Shakhawat and some of his family members have long been involved in banned militant organisations.
In 2017, he left home for Syria and took part in the armed conflict there. Apart from Syria, he stayed in Turkey, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and received arms training.
