New Delhi:

At least 12 of the 23 militants who were detained from inside a mosque in Dhaka on Friday could be members of a new group named “Ittehadul Ummah”, Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said at a press briefing. Investigators believe the group aims to establish a caliphate in Bangladesh.

A senior police official of the Tejgaon Division confirmed that the police had intelligence that members of a banned militant outfit would gather at the mosque after coming from different parts of the city following prayers, and at around 5 pm, the police detained the suspected individuals.

When asked about the detention of 23 people on suspicion of links to an extremist organisation from the mosque at Tejgaon College last Friday, Minister Ahmed said, “Some people were talking even after prayers had ended. They were detained because intelligence agencies had information about such activities.”

Ahmed added that the detainees’ telephones had been forensically examined and the suspects had been interrogated after being taken to a nearby police station.

Because no significant evidence was found against 11 of the detained individuals, they were subsequently handed over to their guardians and community elders, officials confirmed.

The forensic reports from the phones of the remaining detainees and information obtained during questioning indicated that they had sought to form an organisation called “Ittehadul Ummah”, he said. They wanted to organise themselves for extremist activities aimed at establishing a caliphate, Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo reported.

The home minister said the government has maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards extremism and that the suspects are being questioned about their motives by the police.

The incident raises concerns over radical groups with extremist goals within Bangladesh. Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, described terrorism and extremism as a grave threat, warning against Bangladesh becoming a safe haven for extremist networks. She called for stronger intelligence and law enforcement, while arguing that terrorism should be addressed as a regional challenge requiring greater South Asian cooperation and economic integration.

Police said they received information that a group of around 25-30 people, allegedly led by a man named Shihab Uddin, was holding a meeting on the second floor of the mosque, the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha (BSS) reported.

Later, police launched a drive at the mosque and detained 23 people from the spot. Around 30-40 police personnel, including senior officers, took part in the operation, BSS reported.

“They were detained based on intelligence information. Verification and screening of their identities and backgrounds are underway,” Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ibn-e-Mizan said.