Police identify second gunman in Gulshan terror attack from Bogra

Another slain terrorist of the Gulshan cafe siege has been identified as being from Bogra, police say.

He is Shafikul Islam Ujjal of Koiyagarhi village of Bogra’s Dhunat Upazila, Dhunat Police Inspector Panchanan Das confirmed on Monday.

He is the second attacker who police said is from Bogra, the first being Md Khairuzzaman of Shahjahanpur Upazila, who had also been photographed dead as being one of the gunmen.   

Police released the photos of the militants who were taken out by commandos after they had charged into the restaurant following an overnight hostage situation at Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen on Friday.

Some of them resembled photos of smiling youths in a SITE intelligence a report which said the Gulshan attackers were acting on behalf of the so-called Islamic State.

Three other gunmen have been identified as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz and Mir Sabih Mubashir, all from well-to-do families, after their former classmates from Dhaka’s top schools, seeing the SITE photos, began posting their true identities on Facebook.

Ujjal and Khairuzzaman were not the names Bangladesh Police chief Shahidul Hoque mentioned when he said ‘Akash’, ‘Bikash’, ‘Don’, ‘Badhan’ and ‘Ripon’ were the cafe killers.

There was a rumour that ‘Bikash’ was also from Bogra, but Bogra SP Asaduzzaman dismissed it. He said three including Khairuzzaman’s parents have been detained.

Within a day, Dhunat police told bdnews24.com that one of the dead attackers photographed after the siege had ended was Ujjal.

“Among the six attackers killed is Shafikul Islam Ujjal, tagged 21 ... we have confirmed it.” a Dhunat police inspector said.

Locals at Ujjal’s village, Kaiagarhi, said he had enrolled at Government Azizul Haque College in Bogra for graduation after passing higher secondary examinations.

He had left the college later and took up a teaching job at a kindergarten school in Shajahan Market area in Dhaka’s Ashulia.

His relatives said he came home for the last time six months ago.

Before leaving, Ujjal said he would go to Tabligh Jamaat’s ‘Chilla’, a 40-day travel from mosques to mosques to attend lectures and call people to prayers.

The authorities said 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, had been killed and 13 hostages freed. Six gunmen had been killed and another was captured during the operation to free the hostages.

The Islamic State reportedly identified the five gunmen in its photos as Abu Omar, Abu Salam, Abu Rahim, Abu Muslim, and Abu Muharib. 

About such differences in names, police chief Shahidul Hoque has said militants ‘always use aliases’.

Police identified Khairuzzaman, the other dead attacker from Bogra, as Bandhon, but did not specify the photo of his body. His relatives said the madrasa student had been missing for a year.

One of the five photos released by police is of Holey Artisan Bakery chef Saiful Islam Chowkider, his family have claimed.

Police have not explained why the name and photo of the other attacker was not published.