ARRESTED DR. GALIB: TERRORIST OR DUPE?

S E C R E T DHAKA 000914 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2015 TAGS: PTER KCRM PGOV BG SUBJECT: ARRESTED DR. GALIB: TERRORIST OR DUPE? REF: DHAKA 0815 Classified By: P/E Counselor D.C, McCullough, Reason(s): 1.4 (d) ¶1. (SBU) Following the February 23 arrest of professor Muhammad Asadullah al-Galib and 16 other alleged militants, and the banning of two related organizations, JMJB (Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh) and JMB (Jamaat ul-Mujahidin Bangladesh),newspapers continue to describe professor Galib as an extreme advocate of armed struggle. According to news reports, police plan to charge Galib, as the chief of Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB),for a number of explosions and bombings in recent weeks (reftel). Newspapers report that police raided Galib's house finding evidence of Galib's extremist connections, which includes large foreign sources of funding used to support some 600 madrassahs, mosques and health centers. At the same time, Galib, under interrogation by the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC),denies directing any armed activities, according to reports. ¶2. (S) Corroborating sources are unable to say whether Galib, who gives contridictory statements about his activities, is largely responsible for recent violence that includes bombings at a jatra (folk) festival and explosions at Grameen Bank and the NGO, BRAC. These sources are unable to confirm if any explosive materials or ammunition have been found, the degree of foreign funding, nor the source of the foreign funds. THOMAS