DHAKA VISAS VIPER REPORT - MARCH 2005

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001308

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
VISAS VIPER

DEPT FOR INR/IC/TIPOFF AND CA/VO/L/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2015
TAGS: KVPR CVIS PTER PINR ASEC
SUBJECT: DHAKA VISAS VIPER REPORT - MARCH 2005



1. (C) Post's Visas Viper committee met on March 22, 2005.
The committee discussed the addition of several leaders of
two radical Islamic groups into the VISAS VIPER program.


2. (U) The government of Bangladesh has recently banned two
radical Islamic groups, the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh
(JMB) and the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangaldesh (JMJB).
Police have arrested several leaders of the JMB, and there is
an outstanding arrest warrant for the leader of the JMJB.
The JMB has been implicated in a series of bombings and
attacks on targets considered to be non-Islamic and advocates
the establishment of an Islamic government in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi authorities have also frozen the bank accounts of
the Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB),an organization
headed by the most well-known leader of the JMB, Dr. Muhammad
Asadullah al Galib. The JMJB has similar goals and the group
is widely believed to be behind a large number of attacks on
targets considered to be anti-Islamic or un-Islamic in the
western region of Bangladesh. Both organizations are linked
to the Ahle Hadith movement, an organization with branches
across South Asia.


3. (C) The leaders of JMB and JMJB are widely rumored to have
close ties with Islamic groups in other countries. Post is
continuing to collect biographic information on the leaders
of these organizations and information on the organizations,
their activities and possible links to Islamic groups in
other countries.


4. (U) The meeting was chaired by DCM Judith A. Chammas.
Acting Consular Section Chief Robert J. Jachim served as
Visas Viper committee coordinator.

THOMAS