The Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) of Bangladesh Police has said that 36 Bangladeshi nationals recently arrested in Malaysia on terrorism-related charges went there to help disadvantaged people rather than to engage in militancy.
According to the ATU, the individuals — mostly from working-class backgrounds — were brought back to Bangladesh and questioned separately. During preliminary interrogations, they claimed they were not involved in militancy but had travelled with the intention of assisting poor and vulnerable communities. Authorities, however, said investigations were ongoing to determine who might have been behind the alleged activities.
The disclosure came during a press briefing at the ATU headquarters in Baridhara, Dhaka, on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, ATU Chief and Additional Inspector General Md. Rezaul Karim warned that even a single terrorist incident could severely damage Bangladesh’s reputation internationally. He stressed the need to strengthen the unit’s infrastructure and technical capacity to address emerging threats such as transnational crime, cybercrime and hacking.
Karim cautioned that although militant activities appear minimal at present, there is no guarantee they will not resurface in the future. He highlighted the importance of vigilance, collective action, and public cooperation to keep Bangladesh safe.
He also said Bangladesh is a peaceful and tolerant country where extremism and terrorism have no place. However, misuse of social media, misleading influences, and domestic or foreign conspiracies could still push vulnerable individuals down extremist paths. The ATU will therefore continue its surveillance and preparedness to prevent any future incidents.
To boost public involvement, the ATU has launched an app called “Infomet” and a dedicated phone number to collect information from citizens while keeping informants’ identities confidential.
Citing the example of the 2005 nationwide bomb attacks, Karim said it is crucial to understand how uneducated or misguided people can be drawn into extremist ideologies. He urged the media to spread accurate messages and identify groups misusing religion for violence.
The Malaysian police chief Khalid Ismail had announced at a July press conference in Kuala Lumpur that 36 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested for alleged links to militant groups, claiming they were sending funds to Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Bangladesh. Malaysian authorities detained them during multiple operations starting in April.
Bangladesh’s Adviser on Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Dr. Asif Nazrul previously said that those repatriated were being interrogated and anyone found to have militant ties would face strict action based on local investigations and information shared by Malaysia.
