Bangladesh police say Dhaka cafe attack investigation in its final stages

The investigation into the 2016 attack on an upscale restaurant in Dhaka is almost complete after the recent arrest of the alleged bomb supplier, says a senior police officer.

Investigators have gleaned 'substantial information' from the suspect and the chargesheet will be filed with the court soon, Dhaka Metropolitan Police chief Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters.

"The post-mortem and forensic reports came in recently. The investigation is at its final stages," said Mia.

On Jul 8, counterterrorism police arrested a man in the northern district of Chapainawabganj, who they say supplied the grenades used in the terror attack.

Police have been looking for Soheil Mahfuz since the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, when terrorists killed 20 diners, including 17 foreigners.

The attackers killed two police officers in grenade blasts when they responded to the nation's worst terrorist attack in the diplomatic zone of Gulshan.

The five attackers and a restaurant staff member who remains a suspect were shot dead when army commandos raided the restaurant the next morning.

Eight suspects involved in planning the attack have died in several anti-terror raids since. Four others have been captured alive, while five more remain at large as of Jul 8.

Police had said they needed to catch the five, including Mahfuz, to complete their investigation.

DMPchief Asaduzzaman Mia

On Wednesday, Commissioner Mia said they have gleaned substantial information incriminating Mahfuz in the attack.

The police will file the chargesheet against the perpetrators soon, he said.

The senior police officer said they were also interrogating Mahfuz over his involvement in terrorist activities in India, but declined to elaborate.

He rejected media reports of a team of India's National Investigation Agency or NIA coming to Dhaka to quiz the suspect.

"There was a blast in Burdwan. A court order is required if any other agency wants to interrogate him. As far as I know, no representatives from the NIA came to Bangladesh or quizzed him."