Teachers and students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology suspect another young man seen standing next to attacker Faizul in a photo was involved in the attack on Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.
The organisers could identify everyone except the two seen in proximity to Prof Iqbal on the open stage last Saturday.
The photo showed attacker Faizul standing just behind Prof Iqbal alongside a bulky young man.
“I am not sure about the identity of that man, but it is too early to comment. RAB and police will look into it,” said Proctor Zahir Uddin Ahmed. He added the attacker could have had one or two accomplices with him.
He also added that police have been providing a special security detail to Prof Iqbal for some time now, which may have led to some complacency regarding his safety.
“The attacker chose the day of the event because everyone was busy and it was easy to follow his itinerary,” he said.
Jibesh Kanti Saha, a lecturer from Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, said there were students from other universities due to the national-level nature of the event.
“So we could not identify all of them.”
Lt Col Abu Haider Azad Ahmed, who commands RAB 9, reiterated the possibility of the attacker having an accomplice. “We are investigating the issue,” he said.
Law-enforcement agencies did not comment when asked if the attacker had any connection with extremist groups. “We are not sure but continuing our investigation at the moment,” said RAB official Azad Ahmed.
Md Moniruzzaman, additional DIG of intelligence and special affairs at the Police Headquarters, said the investigation advanced further with a special team working on it.
Prof Zafar Iqbal was attacked and injured during an Electrical and Electronic Engineering Festival event on the SUST campus on Saturday.
He was first taken to Sylhet’s Osmani Medical College Hospital for surgery but was later transferred to Dhaka’s CMH by air ambulance. Doctors say he is out of danger and will recover in a few days.
According to bdnews24, the attacker, a madrasa student named Faizul, was apprehended by teachers and students and beaten. He was later taken into RAB custody.
The 24-year-old madrasa student dubbed the famed writer as an ‘enemy of Islam’, saying he was attempting to kill him for this reason.
Prof Iqbal, who teaches at Computer Science and Engineering Department of the university - abbreviated as SUST - has repeatedly voiced his loud opposition to militancy and communalism. A police detail has been assigned to protect the popular writer in October 2016 after death threats from Islamist militants.
