Bangladesh nabs two top Al Qaeda-affiliate's leaders

Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has nabbed the country's chief of an Al Qaeda affiliate and his top advisor and 10 other Islamist radicals, an RAB spokesperson said on Thursday.

But spokesperson Maqsudul Alam did not clarify from where and when were the radicals nabbed, saying details will provided in a formal briefing later in the day. He also did not say where the nabbed radicals were being held, bdnews24.com reported.

Alam said the RAB nabbed Mawlana Mainul Islam, who is now the Al Qaeda in The Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) chief coordinator in Bangladesh, and his top advisor Mawlana Zafar Amin , along with 10 other AQIS activists.

Mainul Islam is a former leader of the radical Harkat-ul Jihad-al Islami (HuJI), Alam said.

The RAB spokesperson told bdnews24.com that a huge amount of explosives, bomb-making material, sharp weapons and training manuals were recovered from the nabbed radicals.

AQIS has claimed responsibility for the murder of secular bloggers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das, who were brutally murdered this year.

Since then, police and the RAB have tried to track down the AQIS network and those connected with it.

AQIS is an Al Qaeda affiliate for militant activities in South Asia.