Militants have chosen Chittagong as a safe haven for training to launch a new outfit and fight against what they say is a “worldwide oppression against the Muslims”.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) came to learn about the outfit following the arrest of three members of the outfit during an overnight drive yesterday.

They also arrested a key person who reportedly supplies weapons for the trainings.

Rab learnt that the outfit's armed wing is called Shaheed Hamja Brigade, which is divided into three groups -- Green, Blue and White. Each group consists of seven men. The outfit also formed a media wing, claimed Rab officials.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Rab-7 conducted several drives in Kotwali, Panchlaish and Akbar Shah areas of Chittagong and arrested Mozaher Hossain Miah, 35, Sabbir Ahmed Muhib, 23, Kamal Uddin Mustafa, 24, and Ashraf Ali Adnan, 25, said Lt Col Mifta Uddin Ahmed, commanding officer of Rab-7, in a press conference at the Rab-7 Headquarters.

They recovered five AK-22 rifles, five pistols, one smooth bore breech loading rifle, a gun, 10 magazines of AK-22, five magazines of the pistols, and 3,668 bullets at a hotel room and a house in Chittagong, said Lt Col Mifta.

Mozaher is an arms dealer and he used to sell arms to the militants, the Lt Col claimed, adding that the arms and ammunitions were being used for training.

The AK-22 rifles were made in China and the pistols were from India, he said. The arms were smuggled in through Comilla border from India.

During their investigation, the Rab learnt that the arrestees were first trained in classrooms of a madrasa of Hathazari upazila and then they were given militant training in a hilly area of Banshkhali upazila.

On February 19, Rab arrested 12 militants at Al Madrasatul Abu Bakar in Hathazari and recovered laptops, memory cards and other audio-video materials used in training in classes. Gleaning information from the arrestees there, Rab conducted a drive in Lotmoni hilly area of Banshkhali on February 21 and discovered a militant training camp.

They also arrested five militants and recovered arms and ammunition from there.

With information from the arrestees, Rab conducted another drive at a house in Bashundhara Residential Area of the port city and arrested three militants on February 28. They recovered a large amount of bomb-making materials and 76 bombs from there.

Yesterday's drive was a continuation of those drives, said Lt Col Mifta.

Rab arrested 25 members of the group so far. “They were preparing to launch a new militant outfit and before that they were getting theoretical and militant training,” said Lt Col Mifta, adding, “They had formed the armed wing in November 2013 in a meeting at a hotel in city's Foy's Lake area.”

He said the militants were trained on operating firearms, on how to make explosives and use them, and on how to evade detection.

“They were preparing physically and mentally to conduct militant activities in the country and abroad,” Mifta said, adding, “They have not yet disclosed the names of their top leaders during primary interrogation.”