Ansarullah Bangla Team
The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) (Bengali: আনসারুল্লাহ বাংলা টিম), also known as Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh/Ansar Bangla is an islamic organization in Bangladesh, implicated in crimes including some brutal attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015 and a bank heist in April 2015. The gang was outlawed days after the bank robbery by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 25 May 2015. The group has been claimed by police to be linked to Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh.
| Ansarullah Bangla Team | |
|---|---|
| আনসারুল্লাহ বাংলা টিম | |
Flag of Ansarullah Bangla Team | |
| Suspected Chief | Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani |
| Dates of operation | 2013 - present |
| Allegiance | |
| Active regions | Indian subcontinent |
| Ideology | Islamic extremism |
| Major actions | Ashulia Bank Robbery, Killing of Atheist Bloggers |
| Status | Active |
| Size | unknown |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |
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Confessions of five members of the group were recorded by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-or-Rashid that continued from 1 pm to 8 pm relating to the murder of Ahmed Rajib Haider on February 15, 2013. Another four have been arrested for the attack on blogger Asif Mohiuddin. They also claimed responsibility for the murder of three atheist bloggers, Avijit Roy, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, and Ananta Bijoy Das, and murder of Rajshahi University sociology professor AKM Shafiul Islam.
According to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, the ABT is an Al Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group in Bangladesh that started its activities during 2007 as the Jama’atul Muslemin funded by different NGOs. The group ceased to operate when funding ended. It resurfaced during 2013 as the ABT. Ansarullah Bangla Team is a front group for AQIS.