Aarabhia Music Academy, a free music academy in Bangladesh, is famous for performing classical music in a free atmosphere.
But the academy has also served as a recruiting ground for militants, including one with ties to al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
The academy, which has more than 300 students, operates out of a facility at Dhaka’s Dhaka Music Academy Complex, according to a government official and a student.
The academy, located in the southern Dhaka district of Maungdaw, has a staff of around 120, and the school is known for its music program, which often features popular songs from the classical and contemporary music scenes.
The academy has been under fire from the government for its role in recruiting militants to join the militant group, Bangladesh Islamic State (ISIS).
The academy’s chief, Abubakar Bhat, was recently sentenced to a year in jail and four years of a 10-year prison term for being a recruiter for ISIS.
Bhat is also known as “The General.”
The Dhaka Police and security forces have been conducting raids against the academy, and have been cracking down on its operations in recent months.
Last year, a government probe revealed that Bhat was a member of ISIS, and that he had a number of accounts associated with the group, including an online account that has been used for recruiting and planning attacks.
The State Department said that the academy was among the “most significant” terrorist recruitment sites in the country.
Aarabeya Music Academy was set up by former Bangladeshi leader Abdul Aziz Hossain, a leader of the militant outfit Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, according the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Bhat denied the allegations against him and called for an investigation into the allegations.
Bhojat Shah, an al Qaeda official who was a key recruiter in Bangladesh during the 1990s, is believed to have been one of the top leaders of ISIS.
“We will never stop pursuing terrorists, and we will never allow any terrorist organization to recruit in our country,” Shah told reporters in April 2017, according a report from the U,T.
Shah is also believed to be a member to ISIS.