Two others killed with cafe attack 'plotter' Tamim include his close aide, police suspect

Police are yet to identify the two other suspected militants killed with Dhaka cafe attack 'mastermind' Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, but suspect at least one of them to be a 'key figure' of the group.

A raid led by the Counter-terrorism Unit was conducted on Saturday at a house in Narayanganj, 30 km south of Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Police said the militants, holed up in an apartment of a three-storey building, responded to their calls to surrender with bombs and gunfire.

After an hour-long gunfight, police said three persons were killed, including Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim, who they have been claiming to be the 'plotter' of the Jul 1 attack at an upscale restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic zone Gulshan.

"We found three bodies inside. One of them matched perfectly with Tamim's picture and description we have. It's clear that he is Tamim," Bangladesh Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque told the media after the raid.

Police are yet to identify the two other, but Counter-terrorism Unit's Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain said they suspect one of them to be a 'key figure' of the militant outfit.

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said they believe that those killed on Saturday, include the 'close aide to Tamim'.

"Mastermind Tamim Chowdhury and his two accomplices have been killed. We will be able to identify the others after investigations. We believe one of them be to his close aide."

Police had named 30-year-old Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim as the one who orchestrated the Jul 1 attack, which left 22 people killed, including 17 foreigners and two police officers.

According to authorities, Tamim led the 'Neo-JMB', which emerged after the JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) split.

A reward of Tk 2 million (US$ 25,000) had been also announced for information leading to his arrest.

Police had also announced a similar reward for dismissed Bangladesh Army major Syed Md Ziaul Haque, who they claim leads another militant group the Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Earlier this month, Bangladesh Police said they have identified another plotter of the cafe carnage, Nurul Islam Marjan, a former Chittagong University student and a JMB leader.

Police have not traced them and are yet to confirm whether they are among the two men shot dead with Tamim on Saturday.

Tamim’s name came up on the list of 10 “missing” people released by the authorities after it emerged that Gulshan café killers and the Sholakia attackers had been reported by their families to police as missing.

International media reports, citing several Islamic State publications, have described him as the coordinator of Middle East-based group’s Bangladesh operations.

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

Home Minister Kamal said on Saturday that the 'Tamim Chowdhury chapter ended' with the raid in Narayanganj.

"We will be able to nab the rest of the militants soon," he said while speaking to reporters after visiting the scene in Narayanganj.