DHAKA: Two Pakistani citizens were held at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday night on suspicion that they might be Taliban militants, but were set free after cursory quizzing, official sources said.

The two suspects--Humayun Kabir and his brother Nasir Ullah—went into hiding just after their release, creating a stir in the administration, the sources said.

Cops of the special branch of police (SB) seized the suspects’ passports but released them after two hours of preliminary interrogation.

A duty officer of SB told banglanews24.com.bd that the suspects were to be interrogated again on June 23 in the joint interrogation cell. But they remained on the run.  

The arrested persons identified themselves as Bangladeshi citizens and were about to depart for African Malawi by a Singapore Airways flight on Friday night. They were carrying Bangladeshi passports.

Police suspect that the two brothers are Pakistani citizens and previously received Taliban training in Afghanistan. The special branch has intelligence that the duo was going to Africa to receive training this time, too.

Police and other intelligence agencies interrogated them at night as well, but were later set free on confirmation that they have their home in Chandpur.

An airport immigration police official told banglanews24.com.bd that some intelligence agencies had informed airport immigration authorities few days ago on Humayun Kabir and Nasir Ullah. Since then, immigration police had been “on special alert”.


Immigration authorities held the suspected Taliban brothers when they arrived at the airport at about 9:30 pm Friday to catch a flight en route to the African destination.

They confessed that they collected African visa as Bangladeshi citizens and were scheduled to catch the flight 589.

The Immigration Police Officer also informed that both the suspects’ Bangladeshi passports carried their father’s name as Habibullah and Hajiganj of Chandpur as address. Police came to know that one of them - Humaun Kabir--got married in Chandpur.
Their passports show that they had gone to Pakistan several times before.

BDST: 0935, 19 July 2010
TA/ZH/MUA