Terror attack ‘masterminds’ Tamim, Zia are now in Dhaka, police suspect

Police suspect the two alleged masterminds of the deadly militant attacks in recent times in Bangladesh, Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and Syed Md Ziaul Haque, are staying in Dhaka.

After identifying them as the ‘brains behind those attacks’, police earlier this month had announced a Tk 2 million cash rewards on each of them for information leading to their arrest.

At a media call on Friday, DMP’s counter-terrorism unit chief and Additional Commissioner Md Monirul Islam said, “We think they are in Dhaka. We are trying to pinpoint their location and have sought help for this from others (security agencies).

“We have also announced Tk 2 million rewards for each of them for anyone who will help us catch them.”

Police say dismissed army Major Ziaul was one of the conspirators of a 2012 coup bid aimed at toppling the Hasina government. The army had foiled the attempt.

A Reuters report in June this year also quoted Islam as saying that the authorities suspect Ziaul might be involved with the banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam.

International media reports, citing several Islamic State publications, have described Canadian-Bangladeshi Tamim as the coordinator of the Middle East-based terror group’s Bangladesh chapter.

Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque on Aug 2 announced the Tk 2 million bounty on each of them.

“We have identified Tamim and Ziaul as the masterminds of the Gulshan, Sholakia and Kalyanpur incidents,” he had said on that day.

He said that investigations revealed that Tamim was leading the ‘Neo-JMB’. “We have also identified the second and third men after Tamim. Efforts are on to arrest them.”

Haque added that another banned group Ansarullah Bangla Team was also involved in the recent attacks. “Our investigations suggest that dismissed army major Ziaul leads them.”

Monirul Islam, on the same day, had said that Tamim, a resident of Canada’s Windsor, had been ‘missing’ since he returned to Bangladesh via Dubai in October 2013.

Asked why he had not been arrested at that time, the counter-terrorism unit chief said the security forces had not known about Tamim’s involvement in militancy.

“His name came up in investigations in 2015,” Monirul said.

About Ziaul, he had said several suspects arrested in different cases over militant attacks had named him. He said the two were currently in Bangladesh.

Friday’s press conference was organised to brief the media on the arrests of five JMB operatives with explosives from the capital’s Darussalam on Thursday night.

Additional Commissioner Monirul said, “Four other JMB members fled while the five were being arrested.”

“The JMB faced a crisis of operatives after nine militants were killed during the Kalyanpur raid (on Jul 26). That’s why these new men have been brought to Dhaka.

“During primary interrogation, they said they were brought here to undergo training.”

After the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks, on Jul 26, nine militants were killed in a special raid by the security forces at a house at Dhaka’s Kalyanpur.

Police claimed the dead men, too, were JMB operatives.

Monirul on Friday said police had gathered a great deal of information regarding the militants after raiding at least 10 more houses in different areas of the city following the Jul 1 Gulshan cafe attack.

According to him, they are certain that a youth named ‘Marzan’ (organisational name) had disseminated the photos and messages sent by the Gulshan cafe attackers during their fatal overnight seize.

“He is currently staying in Dhaka. He appears to be an educated youth. Our detectives have a photo of him,” Monirul added.