Free my son, take step after investigation: Dhaka terror attack suspect Hasanat’s father

The father of former North South University teacher Hasanat Reza Karim, a suspect in the deadly Dhaka terror attack, has demanded his son’s release.

MR Karim says police should take measures after investigation if it reveals anything suspicious about him.

Hasanat has been in Detective Branch custody for three days after he, along with 13 hostages, came out of the cafe.

His father Karim on Tuesday said he would go to lawyers to ‘bring his son back home’.

“Hasanat has been with the DB for three days. We can’t visit him. I will consult lawyers to know what to do now,” he said.

Six gunmen killed 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, at Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen premises in Dhaka’s Gulshan diplomatic district on Friday.

The authorities first said six gunmen were killed and another was captured during the rescue raid.

Later, five of the persons killed in the raid were identified as attackers.
 

After the raid on Saturday morning, 27 persons, including the 13 freed hostages, were taken to the DB office.

Many of them were freed after their statements had been crosschecked.

On Tuesday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said Hasanat and another freed hostage, Tahmid Hasib Khan, were in a list of suspects and still in police custody.

He said the other suspects would be summoned for questioning.

Hasanat can be seen coming out of the cafe with his family in a video shot before the commando assault.

The former teacher of the private university’s BBA department told police he had gone to the cafe with his wife Sharmin Parvin, son Rayan Karim and daughter Safa Karim to celebrate Safa’s birthday.

The members of the family, except Hasanat, returned home Sunday.

His father MR Karim said DB officers came to his house and seized Hasanat’s laptop after they hostages had been freed.

“Hasanat and his family were in the DB office then. DB are not letting him return home though they are not saying that he has been detained,” Karim said.

“If they suspect my son, then they should gather evidence,” he added.

He pledged assistance in the investigation into the siege.

“There are reasons behind suspecting him. The militants wandered with him. Korean citizens took photos. He came out in such a manner that nothing had happened,” Karim said.

He demanded questioning of the survivors, especially the cafe staff, to know his son’s role during the hostage situation.

“I demand police free him after seizing his passport, if necessary. They should take step after investigation.”

Karim also said Hasanat might have changed side at gunpoint.

“The terrorists killed many there with arms. Hasanat saw what they can do. Several videos of Hasanat have been uploaded. He might have been forced to do those things with a gun pulled on him,” he said.

Media reports say North South University had sacked Hasanat for his link to banned Islamist militant group Hizb-ut Tahrir.

Among the five cafe attack gunmen, whose photos were published reportedly by the Islamic State, Nibras Islam, a student of the private university, has been identified by former classmates and relatives.

Karim said, “The media reports are not based on facts. Hasanat was a teacher of North South University. Now he is a director at my construction firm Basic Engineering Limited.

“He is my deputy in the organisation. But he has not been attentive to his job,” he added.

He claimed his son was not radical.

“Hasanat is not orthodox. He did not pray or fast regularly. He only joined Juma prayers. I don’t know whether he is involved with any banned organisation at the North South University,” he said.

Hasanat, a University of London graduate, studied MBA in the US, Karim said.

bdnews24.com contacted several police officials for comments on Hasanat.

DB Joint Commissioner Abdul Baten said he was too busy to talk on the matter.

DMP spokesperson Md Masudur Rahman and DB Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Nazmul Alam did not receive calls.