ACCUSED AWAMI LEAGUER SAYS HE IS NOT JMB

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 001565

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016
TAGS: KISL PGOV PREL BG
SUBJECT: ACCUSED AWAMI LEAGUER SAYS HE IS NOT JMB


Classified By: A/Pol Counselor D. Renz, Reason(s): 1.4 (d)


1. (C) Summary: In a public confession captured JMB commander
Ataur Rahman Sunny alleged that AL Religious Advisor Mohammad
Abdullah is part of JMB. Poloff spoke to Abdullah, who said
that he has never met Sunny, nor anyone from JMB, firmly
believes in AL's secular orientation, and speculates that
this might be pay-back from fellow terrorist Mufti Hannan who
Abdullah prosecuted. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 10, media reported that alleged Jamaatul
Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) Commanders Ataur Rahman Sunny and
Abdul Awal implicated Awami League (AL) Religious Secretary
Mohammad Abdullah as a supporter of JMB in their confessions
to police. AL officials denounced the statements as "false
and baseless" and designed to undermine the AL, media
reported.


3. (C) Poloff spoke to AL Religious Affairs Secretary
Mohammed Abdullah about the truthfulness of the allegations
and found him at Sheikh Hasina's residence, where Abdullah
said "he stays there at night." He explained that Hasina's
husband is unable to get around much and Abdullah is there
"to keep him company." Asked if he was there because of any
overt threats, Abdullah recounted past threatening phone
calls several years ago, but said he stays there at night,
moves around Dhaka freely, and recently completed an
overnight trip to Chittagong.


4. (C) When asked if he was connected to JMB, he replied, "I
was astonished to hear my name." Asked if he ever met Sunny,
he replied, " I have never seen Sunny," nor any JMB member,
nor had the opportunity to be in the same part of Bangladesh
with them and explained JMB comes from an altogether
different part of Bangladesh, where he never goes. "I am 60
years old, most of JMB are in their 20s and 40s," he said,
how am I going to meet them?


5. (C) Poloff asked Abdullah about his religious background.
He replied that he is a lawyer by trade and attends to Sheikh
Hasina's constituency so she can concentrate on larger
issues. He said the AL appointed him as its first "Religious
Affairs Secretary" to fend off charges that "the AL is
anti-religious." Abdullah said he has no special training in
religion, has been on the Hajj, but emphasized that the AL is
a secular party. Asked about Islamist charges that the AL is
anti-madrassah, he said that, "Yes, we are anti-Madrassah if
they are used for terrorist training, but we are for
Madrassah education."


6. (C) He could think of no reason why he was implicated by
Sunny, but told poloff that he was on the BNP government's
prosecutorial team when HUJI-B terrorist Mufti Hannan was
tried and sentenced for the attempted assassination of Sheikh
Hasina. Sunny may have gotten Abdullah's name from Mufti
Hannan himself or others in jail, he said. Abdullah found it
odd that after 120 days in custody, only now was his name
being mentioned in connection with JMB. He did not discount
the idea that "he (Sunny) was forced to say this."
Responding to political motivations, Abdullah said that as he
was the number one advisor to Sheikh Hasina, the BNP can "get
to her by attacking me." The JMB and other political parties
are against women in leadership positions and want Islamic
law. It is natural for them to attack the AL's female secular
leader, Abdullah explained.
CHAMMAS