Xulhaz Mannan, left, and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy Collected

Ansar al Islam's intelligence wing, known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) had opened several Facebook IDs to gather information on Xulhaz, who founded Roopban - Bangladesh's first and only LGBTQ magazine - and several other targets

Police investigation into the murder of LGTBQ activist Xulhaz Mannan has revealed that his murderers from Ansar al-Islam, a banned militant group, were stalking him on a pro-LGBTQ Facebook group and rallies.

A source within the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit confided to the Dhaka Tribune that Asadullah, one of the prime suspects arrested for his involvement in Xulhaz's murder, have revealed chilling details about how the murderers blended in with the LGBTQ crowd that the rights activist was campaigning for.

The police arrested Asadullah on Tuesday and took him into remand.

Ansar al Islam's intelligence wing, known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) had opened several Facebook IDs to gather information on Xulhaz, who founded Roopban - Bangladesh's first and only LGBTQ magazine - and several other targets.

The ABT outfit assigned to kill Xulhaz made their plans in a house in Gazipur, where they were trained in melee weapons and explosives.

Also Read- Murders of Xulhaz, Tonoy: Investigators say 13 Ansar-al Islam members were involved

Asadullah and Zubair, another Ansar al-Islam member, had stalked Xulhaz on Facebook, in particular the pro-LGBTQ groups that their target was active in. They became increasingly involved in the pro-LGBTQ activities and even participated in Roopban pride rallies.

Thus, the ABT was able to track Xulhaz and draw up plans for his execution by determining the time and place where he would be most vulnerable.

On April 25, 2016, Xulhaz and his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, a theatre activist, were hacked to death at the former’s Kalabagan residence in Dhaka.

CTTC Chief Monirul Islam said that Asadullah is directly involved in the murder of Xulhaz and Tonoy.

Mohibul Islam Khan, deputy commissioner with the CTTC, also said that the police are still investigating and trying to get more information out of Asadullah.