Gulshan café attack suspect Hasnat Karim again denied bail

A Dhaka court has denied bail to Abul Hasnat Reza Karim, a former university teacher being detained as a suspect in police's investigation of the Gulshan café attack.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Kamrul Hossain Molla rejected his bail plea on Wednesday.

The case details of the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery does not mention Karim, his lawyer Abdul Mannan Khan told court.

“None of the witnesses mentioned Karim in their depositions. Mobile call lists did have any proof of his involvement. He (Karim) resigned from North South University a long ago,” he said.

Karim, who once taught at the privately-owned university, was present in Holey Artisan Bakery when it was stormed by gunmen who left 20 diners dead on Jul 1 last year.

Nibras Islam, one of the five gunmen, also studied at North South University.

Karim has been suffering from diabetes, heart disease, kidney complications and high blood pressure, his lawyer said. "He is a peace loving man who is being framed".

“This is the Holey Artisan case, he (Karim) could be named in the chargesheet. Given his age, it is unlikely that he suffers from so many diseases,” Nazim Uddin, assistant commissioner of police's prosecution division, said in his response.

Karim was not present during the hearing.

The foreigner-targeted attack in the upscale restaurant inside the capital's diplomatic enclave of Gulshan is termed Bangladesh's worst terror attack.

Hasnat and his family members were among 32 hostages who were released by the attackers before they were killed in a commando operation launched in the morning after the attack.

Hasnat's family said he was not released with the other hostages who were questioned by police on the night of Jul 2, but detectives denied having him in custody.

On Aug 2, he was shown detained under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows police to arrest without a warrant. He was later shown arrested in police's case over the attack.

After being remanded into police custody, Hasnat sought bail on Aug 13 but his petition was turned down. 

On Aug 24, he once again sought bail at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, but was again denied bail.

His counsel filed for bail on Oct 30 at the sessions judge's court, but failed to secure it for his client.

He was again denied bail in April this year at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court.