A dozen AQIS men, including top 2 leaders, held

The Bangladesh chief of the Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and his top advisor are among 12 Islamist radicals arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the force's media spokesperson claimed on Thursday. But RAB spokesperson Maqsudul Alam did not clarify from where and when were the radicals nabbed, saying details will be provided in a formal briefing later in the day. He also did not say where the nabbed radicals were being held. Alam said the RAB nabbed Mawlana Mainul Islam, who is now the AQIS chief coordinator in Bangladesh, and his top advisor Mawlana Zafar Amin , along with ten other AQIS activists. Mainul Islam is a former leader of the radical Harkat ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI), Alam said. The RAB spokesperson told bdnews24.com that huge amount of explosives, bomb making material, sharp weapons and training manuals were recovered from the nabbed radicals. AQIS has claimed responsibility for the murder of secular bloggers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das, who were brutally murdered this year. Since then, police and RAB have tried to track down the AQIS network and those connected with it. AQIS is an Al Qaeda affiliate for militant activities in South Asia, according to bdnews24.com.