Seven men were sentenced to death on Wednesday for their roles in the Holey Artisan café attack, the deadliest terror attack in Bangladesh’s history that claimed the lives of 22 people, including 17 foreigners.
Judge Mohammad Mujibur Rahman of Dhaka Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal handed down the verdict.
The convicts are - Jahangir Hossain, Aslam Hossain Ryash, Hadisur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan Rigen, Abdus Sabur Khan, Mamunur Rashid Ripon and Shariful Islam Khaled. Each of them was fined Tk 50,000.
One of the accused, Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan, was acquitted as charges brought against him could not be proven.
On July 1, 2016, armed terrorists barged into the upscale restaurant in the heart of the diplomatic quarter and unleashed an unprecedented carnage that shook the nation, UNB reports.
Twenty-two people – nine Italians, seven Japanese, an Indian, a Bangladeshi-born American and two Bangladeshis along with two police officers – were killed before commandoes stormed the café and neutralised the extremists.
Thirteen others, who were identified to be behind the attack, were killed during raids at various times. Hasnat Karim, a private university teacher who was one of the hostages and later detained, was acquitted since there was no evidence of his complicity, police said.
Police pressed charges against eight people in the case on July 23, 2018. The tribunal framed charges against them on November 26. On December 3 last year, the trial began with the deposition of witnesses.
On November 17 last, the tribunal set November 27 for delivering its verdict.