Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) yesterday arrested the acting editor of a news portal on charges of posting seditious, false and baseless news on social media from Dhaka’s Segunbagicha area.

A team of RAB-3 conducted a drive in the area and arrested the acting editor of the daily 71.com, Sheikh Riad Muhammad Noor. Lt Cdr Ashekur Rahman, company commander of RAB-3, confirmed his arrest.

The RAB team also seized a mobile phone from his possession that contained fabricated information about Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, false propaganda and anti-state news.

He added that he ran the news portal through a trade licence. Muhammad Noor described himself as a freedom fighter and a researcher of the history of contemporary politics.

The RAB said Muhammad Noor published fake news about the Liberation War and also fabricated it. He also spread false and anti-state rumours on his Facebook page.

In December, the RAB detained one person for allegedly spreading anti-state rumours on social media from Gulistan area in the capital.

The detainee, KM Harun-Ur-Rashid, was the admin of Zia Cyber Force, a Facebook page.

The detainee, Harun, published fake news about the Election Commission and fake and fabricated news about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier, the RAB had detained some of his collaborators for spreading rumours.