Bangladeshi police present Samiun Rahman ( C ) , a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin , on suspicion of ties with global jihadist organisations in Dhaka

Bangladesh police said
Monday they have arrested
a British citizen suspected
of entering the country to
recruit militants for jihadist
groups overseas such as
the Islamic State
organisation.
Officers said Samiun
Rahman , a 24 - year - old
Londoner of Bangladeshi
origin , was picked up from
a railway station in the
capital around midnight on
Sunday .
“ During primary
interrogation, he told police
he was staying in
Bangladesh to recruit
jihadists for the IS and
Nusra brigade ( an affiliate
of Al -Qaeda ) , ” Dhaka
metropolitan police said in
a statement.
“ He took part in fighting in
Syria from September to
December last year as a
member of Nusra brigade , ”
Dhaka police spokesman
Masudur Rahman told AFP,
adding that Rahman had
travelled to Syria with a
friend from Britain.
He said Rahman , alias Ibn
Hamdan , planned to send
Bangladeshi militants to
Syria and also wanted to
set up an Al -Qaeda
network inside Bangladesh
and neighbouring
Myanmar .
Al - Qaeda chief Ayman al -
Zawahiri announced plans
earlier this month to launch
a South Asian branch of the
militant network.
Just last week, two other
suspected militants were
arrested for allegedly
attempting to set up an Al -
Qaeda network in
Bangladesh .
Asif Adnan , 24 , and Fazle
Elahi Tanzil , 26 , were
members of the local
Ansarullah Bangla Team ,
blamed for the murder last
year of a blogger who was
critical of Islam.
Several banned Islamist
militant groups operate in
Bangladesh and have been
blamed for a series of
deadly attacks since the
late 1990s . But none of
them have been linked to
Al - Qaeda .
Rahman , dressed in a long
robe, was paraded before
the media at a police press
briefing .
Police said he was born in
London .
“ He came here as he
thought it was possible to
send people from
Bangladesh ( to Syria ) , ”
said Dhaka police joint
commissioner Monirul
Islam.