STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Over 68 percent of suspects of militant and terrorist activities belong to the age group between 15 and 34, according to a research report of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit based on the profiles of arrestees.

The specialised police unit has arrested 512 such suspects in 112 cases ever since the Holey Artisan café attack in 2016.

Md Nazmul Islam, assistant commissioner of the research and development division of CTTC, disclosed the findings at a workshop yesterday.

The workshop, titled “Reporting on Terrorism”, was jointly organised by CTTC and Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) at Cirdap.

The findings also revealed that among the suspects, the most vulnerable to being targeted by militant groups are aged between 20 and 24. Around 27.5 percent of the age group join such groups.

Frustration over education, work and personal lives make them easy targets, said officials.

Around 9.4 percent of suspects are between the ages of 35 and 40, while the figure is 8 percent for individuals aged between 40 and 44.

AC Nazmul said they have noticed a paradigm shift in militant activities in the country militant activities after 2007, with the emergence of Al-Qaeda-inspired militant outfit Ansar Al Islam Bangladesh and Islamic State-inspired outfit Neo JMB.