Date:08/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/08/stories/2008030855421800.htm

International

U.S. proscribes Bangladesh outfit

Haroon Habib

DHAKA: The United States has declared Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (Huji-B) a terrorist organisation.

Through an executive order issued on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice designated the extremist outfit as a “foreign terrorist organisation” and a “specially designated global terrorist” outfit.

The group is notorious for carrying out attacks on unsuspecting targets.

It is widely believed that the Huji-B leader was one of the signatories of the February 1998 fatwa issued by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that declared American civilians legitimate targets for attack. A release of the American Centre, Dhaka, on Thursday said the order makes it illegal for persons in the U.S. and those under U.S. jurisdiction to provide material support for Huji-B.

The Bangladesh Home Ministry on Thursday said Huji-B was not active at present and that law enforcers were working to prevent the resurgence of the outfit.

Huji-B came into being in April 1992 and 41 members of the outfit were arrested in 1996 after they carried out a terrorist attack.

All of them were jailed for life.

Mufti Abdul Hannan, now under arrest, claims himself to be the leader of the organisation.