Suspected mastermind of Bangladesh cafe attack killed by police

The mastermind of Bangladesh’s Gulshan cafe attack and two militants were killed during a raid on a hideout of militants in Narayanganj on the outskirts of capital Dhaka on Saturday, the country’s police chief told Xinhua.

“The gunfight erupted this morning after police started raiding a building at Naraynganj’s Pikeparha”, Counter-terrorism Unit’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain was quoted as saying by the bdnews24.com. Dozens of foreigners, activists and members of minority religious groups have been killed by Islamists in Bangladesh over the last three years.

Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the cafe attack and, while the government has dismissed the claim, security experts say the scale and sophistication of the assault suggested links to trans-national networks.

The Bangladesh authorities, however, maintain that Tamim led the “Neo-JMB” and rule out any connection between the outfit and Islamic State.

The suspected militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigner hostages in the attack. Elimination of the extremists would bolster peoples confidence, the Prime Minister said.

“The nation has become free of another curse”, Hasina said, adding that the “elimination of the extremists” would bolster “people’s confidence”.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Saturday in televised remarks to reporters that the identities of the two militants killed with Chowdhury would be released after an investigation, but that one of them appeared to be Chowdhury’s right-hand man. “So the chapter of Tamim has ended here”.

Global Affairs Canada has said Canadian officials are monitoring Khan’s situation.

He said the landlord extended cooperation in carrying out the raid. The landlord said the militants had described themselves as businessmen in the medical trade.

“Police collected evidence from the house though they (the associates) destroyed a laptop and some other documents”, he told Reuters.

Earlier this month, authorities in Dhaka had announced a $25,000 reward for Chowdhury as well as another man, Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, the leader of the local militant group that carried out hacking deaths of bloggers and other intellectuals.

No charges have been brought in a series of court appearances and a judge refused another bail application on Wednesday, leaving the 47-year-old detained without access to a lawyer or visitation rights for his family.