Security has been tightened at all airports across the country following internal police alerts over possible attacks by extremist groups on key installations.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq shared the update at a press briefing on Monday.
“Following a letter from Police Headquarters, the highest level of alert has been issued at the country’s eight airports. Airports are always under strict security. However, after receiving the letter, measures have been further intensified. This is part of routine operations,” he said.
Bangladesh currently has eight operational airports, including three international airports in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet, and five domestic ones.
Security at these airports is maintained by CAAB Aviation Security (AVSEC), alongside Armed Police Battalion (APBN) personnel, intelligence agencies and other law enforcement bodies.
Police Headquarters issued a warning on Friday night over fears that members of a banned extremist group could target key installations, including the National Parliament building. A directive sent to unit heads on Thursday instructed authorities to strengthen security measures.
Although no specific group was named, the alert referred to the recent arrest of a militant-linked individual, Ishtiaq Ahmed Sami, also known as Abu Bakkar and Abu Mohammad.
The message said the arrested individual had regular contact with two dismissed members of the armed forces.
It also noted that a warrant officer who went missing from a Bangladesh Air Force base in Chattogram was later traced to a hideout of the banned militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
TTP is an outlawed militant group engaged in an armed insurgency in Pakistan in the name of establishing Sharia law.
An investigation by TIMES of Bangladesh found that, following the development, a large-scale probe has been launched within the Air Force to examine possible extremist links.
Over the past week, more than 20 Air Force personnel have been detained, including the warrant officer, two squadron leaders, 10 junior commissioned officers and airmen, and one imam.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Joint Commissioner Munshi Shahabuddin said at a press conference on Saturday that there is a risk of a militant attack in the country.
Amid the heightened alert, police also reported the arrest of Md Rakib Hasan during a special drive in the Nanna area of Dhamrai in Dhaka on Saturday.
Dhamrai Police Station Officer in Charge Mohammad Nazmul Khan Bhuiyan said Rakib has been accused of attempting to destabilise the current situation.
A law enforcement official said he works as a civilian employee in a state force and is a member of the extremist group Dawlatul Islam.
The official added that one of the dismissed military personnel who maintained regular contact with Ishtiaq Ahmed is from Rangpur, and Rakib Hasan is a friend or batchmate of that individual.
