Woman who planned, bankrolled Panthapath terror attack out on bail

Humaira alias Nabila, one of the alleged planners of the August 15 attack in Dhaka’s Panthapath, is currently out on bail.

Nurul Amin Biplob, acting judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court, granted her bail on Tuesday. She was released from Kashimpur Women’s Jail on Wednesday evening.

Shajahan Ahmed, Senior Jail Super of Kashimpur Women’s Jail, confirmed the release.

Additional Public Prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court Taposh Kumar Pal and said Dhaka Bar Association General Secretary Mizanur Rahman Mamun appealed for bail on her behalf.

“As her name was not mentioned in the first information report and she is a woman, the court granted her bail,” he said.

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police says Nabila is the head of the female wing of the terrorist group New Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (New JMB).

Nabila is the wife of militant Tanvir Yasin Karim, an arrested leader of New JMB.

Tanvir was arrested over the Panthapath terrorist incident in which a bomb exploded at Hotel Olio International Dhaka. Since his arrest in November last year, Nabila had been running militant activities from a hideout, according to CTTC.

On August 15 last year, Tanvir and Humaira planned and financed an elaborate attack on National Mourning Day targeting ministers, MPs and hundreds of visitors at a procession leading to Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, which was thwarted by law enforcement agencies.

A man named Saiful was surrounded by CTTC at Hotel Olio International at Panthapath and he subsequently blew himself up.

Nabila was arrested this year in April from Siddheswari area in Dhaka.

She completed her BBA from North South University in Dhaka and completed her Masters from Malaysia’s Lincoln Inn University. There she met Akram Hossain Niloy, who was appointed as the Amir of the New JMB. Later, they returned to Dhaka and created a new branch named New JMB Sister Wing.

CTTC officials said that they are very concerned about the militant getting bail.

“Militant activities cannot be controlled in any way if top militants get bail. In the past few months, many militants have gone into hiding after getting bail,” an official said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune