Police are likely to press charges in the case of July 1, 2016 militant attack on Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan in Dhaka city next month as their investigation has reached the final stage.
The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the police is tasked with investigating attack in which 20 people, mostly foreign nationals, and two police officials were killed.
CTTC chief Md Monirul Islam said they had almost completed the investigation, with “revealing that 21 operatives of militant outfit Neo-Jama`atul Mujahideen Bangladesh were involved in the carnage."
Among the 21 JMB operatives, 13 were killed in a series of nationwide anti-militant drives by the law enforcers following the brutal attack, he said.
Also an additional commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Monirul said, “We have so far arrested seven persons
for their direct involvement in planning and execution of the attack and six of them have given confessional statements under the Section 164.”
A total of 20 people, including five foreign nationals, who were held hostages in the cafe, also gave their confessional statements before the court, he added.
DMP commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia said, “We have become clear about everything from planning to execution of the attack after a thorough investigation into the matter.”
Investigators say the arrested accused are: Rakibul Islam Regan, Hadisur Rahman Sagor, Jahangir Hossain Rajeeb alias Rajeeb Gandhi,
Aslam Hossain Rashed alias Rash, Abdus Sabur Khan alias Sohel Mahfuj, Mizanur Rahman alias Baro Mizan and Prof Hasnat Karim of North South University.
Fugitive militants Mamunur Rashid alias Ripon and Shariful Islam Khaled, a former student of the English department of the Rajshahi University (RU) were directly involved in the carnage.
BSS reports Khaled is a charge-sheeted accused in the RU Professor Rezaul Karim murder case.
Five militants, who had directly carried out the cafe attack, were killed in a joint operation by law enforcers on the spot.
Eight top leaders of the Neo-JMB have been killed in a nationwide anti-militant operation since the deadly attack.