DHAKA: Bangladesh has vowed full cooperation to Malaysian authorities and sought more information, following the arrest of 36 Bangladeshi nationals in a recent security operation targeting alleged involvement in the Bangladeshi Radical Militant Group (GMRB). 

“The Bangladesh government is closely monitoring the developments, and the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is in close communication with the relevant Malaysian authorities, and will extend necessary support to the expatriate Bangladeshis wherever needed,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday (Jul 5), quoted by local media. 

The ministry also reiterated Dhaka's firm stance against all forms of terrorism, violent extremism and militancy, and said it remains ready to cooperate fully with Malaysian authorities in the matter.

Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail had earlier said that the group of Bangladeshis arrested in Malaysia was suspected of sending funds to Islamic State (IS) cells in Syria and Bangladesh, according to local news platform bdnews24.

At a press conference on Friday, Mohd Khalid said the 36 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in a series of operations conducted since April. Most of them were employed in factories, construction sites, or the service sector.

Of those, five have been formally charged, while investigations are ongoing against several others. The rest were in the process of being deported, according to Bangladesh anti-terrorism chief Akkas Uddin Bhuiyan, as quoted in bdnews24.

Later that day, three Bangladeshi nationals, deported from Malaysia on suspicion of involvement in militant activities, were arrested and detained after they arrived home. 

The three men now in Bangladeshi custody were among those who were sent back.

They were arrested under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and produced before the court on the same day. The court subsequently ordered their detention in jail, according to Akkas, as reported by bdnews24.

Bangladesh’s Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury reportedly dismissed claims that the recent deportation of suspected extremists from Malaysia indicated the presence of terrorist activity in the country, claiming visa overstays instead for the three citizens deported.

“There is no militant activity in Bangladesh. With your cooperation, we’ve rooted out militancy,” he was quoted saying by Dhaka-base...