Dhaka: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested five persons suspecting their involvement with founding a new extremist Islamist organisation, ‘Al Ansar’, including its chief coordinator, at Hazaribagh in Dhaka on Wednesday morning.

The law enforces seized some religious texts, mobiles, SIM cards, dresses and computers.

RAB officials said the arrested persons are ‘chief coordinator’ of the organisation Rashidul Alam Babu (25), and members Abu Bakkar Monir (23), Abdullah Al Mamun Miah (26), Raisul Islam Rasel (25), and Abdul Malek.

A special team of RAB-2 conducted a raid on a house near Zainul Haque Sikder Women’s Medical College Hospital at Rayerbazar in Dhaka at about 3:00am and arrested Rashed and Monir.

On information provided by them, the elite force launched another drive at the house of one Jasimuddin at Baraikhali at Rayerbazar at about 5:00am and arrested the three remaining suspected militants.

A RAB Headquarters official said the five persons were active members of the banned Islamic organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJi).

But they left HuJi and joined Al Ansar which was formed two years ago following repeated anti-militant drives conducted by members of different law enforcement agencies.