Counter-terrorism police are trying to hunt down eight more people suspected to be involved in the Gulshan cafe attack.
“We are now looking for Sohel Mahfuz, Rashed, Chhoto Mizan, Choklet, Syed Mahfuz, Abdus Samad alias Arif alias Mamu, Musa and a doctor,” Monirul told reporters.
“Many of the suspects have been killed in different raids and a few others arrested,” he added.
On Jul 1 last year, Islamists terrorists stormed the Holey Artisan cafe and took around 30 people hostage. Twenty people were killed, mostly foreigners, in the siege.
Banani Police Station OC Md Salauddin, and Assistant Commissioner of DB police Rabiul Islam were also killed in a bomb blast outside the cafe.
An army para-commando operation brought the hostage situation to an end on the following morning killing five terrorists and a cafe worker.
Two days after the carnage, police started a case against an unspecified number of people and later identified the mastermind and the accomplices involved in the attack.
Police have 22 names of suspects on the list now.
Following the incident, the so-called Islamic State purportedly claimed responsibilities for the attack.
But police ruled out such claim saying that outlawed JMB was behind the attack.
Monirul revealed that a retired engineer had been detained in connection with the Gulshan attack.
“He is a retired chief engineer of a company. He is in our custody but not yet shown an arrestee in the case,” he said without disclosing the name.
Asked whether the suspects police have been looking for were involved in the Gulshan terror siege, Moniul said: “When they follow a similar ideology, they create a common intention. Whether they were present at the scene or not, their support for the killings should be taken into consideration.”
In response fto another question about Hasnat Karim, who was present at the Holey Artisan with his family, the counter-terrorism chief said: “He was detained as a suspect but later shown arrested under anti-terrorism law.”
“Investigation about him is still underway,” he added.
Source: New Age
