Bangladesh arrests leader of Rohingya insurgent group on criminal charges

19/3/2025 19:06

Bangladesh authorities have arrested the leader of a Rohingya Muslim insurgent group, Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, on charges of murder, illegal entry, sabotage and militant activities, police said on Wednesday.



Ataullah, the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), and 10 others were arrested on Tuesday during a raid in Narayanganj district, near Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.



According to an International Crisis Group report, Ataullah lead ARSA's violent campaign in 2016 against Myanmar's security forces to reclaim rights of the Rohingya, who say they face persecution at the hands of Myanmar's Buddhist majority.



He has been identified by analysts as ARSA's leader and appeared in a series of videos claiming responsibility for the attacks on Myanmar security forces.

ARSA's attacks on the border guard posts brought a military crackdown in Myanmar with more than 750,000 Rohingya forced to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in 2017.