Zikrullah, one of the two killers of online activist and blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu and an active member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), was quietly released from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur late on December 21.
While prison authorities confirmed the release to Weekly Blitz, they claimed that Zikrullah’s identity as a blogger’s killer had been mysteriously “erased” from the prison register.
Reports indicate that the second killer, Ariful Islam, is also set to be released from prison later this week.
Meanwhile, ABT and JMB kingpin Jasimuddin Rahmani, along with dismissed Major Syed Ziaul Haque and influential adviser Muhammad Yunus, are reportedly working directly to facilitate the release of every ABT and JMB member by mid-January. Sources suggest that Muhammad Yunus is aware of these activities.
It is worth mentioning that dismissed Major Syed Ziaul Haque, also known as Major Zia, is wanted by the U.S. State Department, which has announced a $5 million reward for information on his whereabouts. Despite this, Yunus and his Islamist-jihadi associates have ignored the U.S. State Department’s appeal, allowing Major Zia to return to Bangladesh from Pakistan and move freely within the country. Major Zia is accused of the murder of U.S. citizen secular activist Avijit Roy.
