Man deported from Malaysia met Gulshan attack suspect: Report

A Bangladeshi national deported from Malaysia over alleged terror links reportedly met with a suspect involved in the Gulshan cafe attack.

News DeskNews deskbdnews24.com
Published : 23 Sept 2016, 12:36 PM
Updated : 24 Sept 2016, 03:22 PM

The restaurant businessman met a person who is a suspect in the deadly attack aimed at foreigners in Dhaka, according to a report in The Star Online.

Malaysian authorities believe the man was plotting a terror attack aimed at his native Bangladesh and would hold regular meetings with others from his homeland, the report said, quoting officials. 

He is also said to have been involved in smuggling AK-47 rifles into Bangladesh.

The man was among four arrested by Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division in raids between Aug 2 and Sept 17.

Three others held in the “special operation” include a Nepalese businessman, a Moroccan man and a Malaysian man, according to a statement by Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

The Malaysian authorities did not reveal the names of the suspects but said the foreigners were sent back to their countries. 

The Bangladesh man, arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 19, used his restaurant at Bukit Bintang to meet with his countrymen, said The Star Online, quoting unnamed sources.  

“He was placed in Interpol’s Red Notice and was deported on Sept 2,” said the IGP’s statement. 

The report says Andaleeb Ahmed was involved in the attack by Islamist gunmen who seized Holey Artisan Bakery inside Dhaka’s diplomatic district on Jul 1.

The attack, which left 22 including two policemen dead, was claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS).

Andaleeb, it claimed, was "linked to Monash University" and have been living in Malaysia from 2012 to 2015 and later in Istanbul.

The young Bangladeshi radicals killed nine Italians, seven Japanese, an Indian girl and three Bangladeshis before being gunned down by army commandos, who stormed the cafe the next morning.