Arrested al-Qaida man's only regret? 'Triple talaq' to wife over phone

NEW DELHI: Arrested al-Qaida recruiter Samiun Rahman doesn't regret fighting for the proscribed organization in Syria or recruiting Rohingya refugees to spread terror in India+ . His biggest regret has been the way he abandoned his wife, who worked hard for his release from Dhaka jail.

Rahman read out the Nikaahnama to his wife Sabina (name changed) in 2015 from Dhaka jail and divorced her by uttering talaq thrice, the moment he stepped out of the jail in April 2017. The 28-year-old British national wants to meet his former wife, who is now married to someone else.

A battle-hardened mujhaideen, Samiun Rahman was arrested by Delhi police on September 16 from Vikas Marg in east Delhi while trying to establish contact with a recruit. Rahman told interrogators that he and his wife lived in the same neighbourhood in Port Pool lane in London and studied in the same school. Though she always liked him, Rahman said his priorities were different and he liked to party and date multiple women.

He was arrested twice for driving related offences and spent 18 months in London jail during 2010-12.

Sources said he was radicalized and indoctrinated inside the jail by al-Qaida commanders. He was bailed out and sent to Islamic Republic of Mauritania for training and was later sent to Syria to fight against the government for al-Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaida.

Rahman returned to London in 2014 where he briefly met Sabina. The few days he was in the British Capital, the police questioned him about his activities but let him off for lack of evidence. He immediately set off for Bangladesh without telling her but got arrested within two months of landing in Dhaka. Sources said this was when Rahman contacted Sabina and asked for her help.

He would often call her from jail and the girl too started making efforts to arrange for his bail. During those innumerable conversations over the phone, the two professed love for each other and got married. The couple was all set to meet upon his release scheduled in April 2017 when Rahman was again reminded of his priorities — Jihad. After coming out of jail, he called her one last time to say talaq thrice and disappeared. The al-Qaida gave him the responsibility to recruit Rohingya refugees in India and setting up base in Delhi, Manipur and Mizoram to wage war against India and fight the Myanmar army. He was trying to meet a recruit when the Delhi police arrested him.