A Dhaka court on Sunday placed seven suspected members of the alleged extremist group ‘Fatah Combat System (FCS)’ on a three-day remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act over allegations of operating extremist activities through social media platforms.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Monirul Islam passed the order after Counter Terrorism Investigation Division Sub-Inspector Moniruzzaman, the investigation officer in the case, sought a seven-day remand for further interrogation.
Earlier in the day, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque allowed police to show the seven suspects arrested in the case before they were produced for the remand hearing.
The accused are Shah Amanat Sabir,23, Md Hossain Tanim, 20, Junaid, 22, Ataullah Shah,32, Md Abidur Rahman, 20, Md Bayezet, 30, and Md Tahsin Islam, also known as Sultan and Musayab, 19.
According to the prosecution, six of the accused had already been questioned during two earlier remand periods in connection with the investigation.
Public Prosecutor Shamsuddoha Sumon represented the state during the hearing, while defence lawyers, including Md Saddam Hossain and Riaz Uddin, opposed the remand petition and sought bail.
After hearing both sides, the court granted police three days to interrogate the suspects in custody.
The case was filed on Saturday by Jatrabari Police Station Inspector AB Siddik under the Anti-Terrorism Act, naming 16 people as accused, including the seven remanded on Sunday, along with several unidentified individuals.
According to the first information report, six of the suspects were arrested from Jatrabari on 5 July, while Tahsin Islam was arrested by Detective Branch (DB) police in Jashore on 9 July.
Police alleged that the suspects operated under the banner of a group called “Sabir Bhaiyer Jamaat” and used Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and other online platforms through pages and groups branded as “Fatah Combat System” to coordinate extremist activities, recruit and radicalise young people, and carry out anti-state conspiracies.
In its remand application, police told the court that further interrogation was necessary to determine the group’s objectives, identify and arrest absconding and unidentified suspects, and uncover the full extent of the alleged network and its activities.
