Manhunt for five terrorists puts brakes on Holey Artisan café case

The terror siege of Holey Artisan had ended with the killing of five gunmen, but the police say they need to catch five more terrorists before the investigation is complete.

A year has passed since Islamist militants sent the nation into shock by launching a foreigner-targeted attack in Dhaka's diplomatic district.

The massacre of 20 diners including 17 foreign nationals is Bangladesh's deadliest terror attack.

The five killers who shouted 'Allahu Akbar', and took religious tests to seek out foreigners were shot dead by commandos the next morning, along with a bakery chef who remains a suspect.

Eight suspects who were involved in its planning died in several anti-terror raids that followed. Four have been captured alive, while five more remain at large.

Monirul Islam, head of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's counter-terror unit, has been leading the investigation into what he calls "our 9/11".

"We are still looking for five suspects whose names came up in our investigation. The investigation can be completed if we manage to catch two or three among them."

Of the five, capturing Soheil Mahfuz, Rashedul Islam aka 'Rash' and Basharuzzaman aka 'Chocolate' was vital. "Finding them may end our investigation," said the counter-terror chief.

The Ramadan attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State that followed other large-scale attacks in global cities like Istanbul and Florida put Bangladesh on the terror group's terror map.

"Never before have so many foreigners died together in Bangladesh. This attack was important for us the way the fall of the Twin Towers was important to the US," said Monirul.

The steps taken by law-enforcers in the past year reflect just that, he said.

"Those who participated directly were killed on location. The people who planned it and provided assistance have been identified."       

"The operations we conducted in the last one year have eliminated eight individuals who were involved in the planning of the attack. We'd have charged them had they been alive."

Of the four men in prison, three have confessed to being involved, said the counter-terror chief.

The commando operations left six dead including five young gunmen, police said.

IS news agency published photos of the attackers.

The gunmen were identified as Nibras Islam, Mir Sameeh Mobassher, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Ujjal -- a mixed squad of tech-savvy Dhaka youths and Madrasa-bred radicals.

Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, Jahidul Islam, Tanvir Quaderi, Nurul Islam Marzan, Abu Raihan Tarek, Sarwar Jahan, Abdullah Motaleb and Faridul Islam Akash -- men killed in anti-terror raids -- were involved in staging the attack in some degree, said Monirul.    

Rajib Gandhi, Bara Mizan, Rakibul Hasan aka Regan and Hasnat Karim have been arrested.   

Tahmid Hasib Khan was seen holding a firearm and talking to two cafe killers on the roof of Holey Artisan in a photo that went viral on the internet.

But the police released him after claiming to have found no evidence against the Bangladeshi who studied in Canada.

Lessons from the probe

It took several months for the investigators to get a clear picture about how the attack was planned in late April last year.

"The plan was to do something big in Dhaka so that they can get national and international media coverage. Their objective was to prove that the militancy was growing in Bangladesh," Monirul said.

And for this, the militants decided to use a few youths from the capital. 

"They picked three such youths who have good knowledge about the city. But, since they were not involved in any significant brutal act, the militants chose two from rural areas with proven skills in killing," he said.

Of the five attackers, Nibras, Mobasheer and Rohan are from well-off families in Dhaka while Shafiqul and Khairul came from rural areas.

The investigators said they received special training in a remote shoal in Gaibandha for 28 days and then were taken to a rented house in the capital's Bashundhara near the attack site.

Monirul said a retired Army major, Jahidul Islam, played a key role in training the five. He was killed during a raid on his house in Dhaka's Rupnagar on Sept 2 last year.

High-value target areas - Gulshan, Baridhara

Monirul said the militants chose Dhaka's diplomatic enclaves Gulshan and Baridhara for the attack as it would attract more media attention.

They picked up Holey Artisan, frequented mostly by the foreigners, especially during weekends. "Also, there was no security system in the cafe," he said.

He said CCTV camera footage showed the attackers reached the cafe in rickshaws and then on foot.

He said Tamim and Marzan were at a house in Shewrhaparha when they received photos of the would-be 'victims' sent by the attackers.

"We couldn't find where the photos were sent because they (the militants) were killed before capture," the counter-terrorism chief added.

Tk 900,000 spent

Monirul said the Holey Artisan attack was a 'low-cost' terrorism incident, considering the cost of weapons, explosives, dresses and footwear necessary to carry out such attack.

"The cost was not more than Tk 800,000 to Tk 900,000. The attackers included youths from well-off families. They also gathered funds," he said.

The additional commissioner of police said Tanvir Qaderi, who was killed in a raid on his house in Azimpur on Sept 10 last year, rented the house for the attackers in Bashundhara.

"We've told you before about Qaderi. He was holding a very good position at a private bank. His wife was an employee of a multinational NGO. They sold their house, car and donated the money to the organisation's fund before their so-called 'Hizrat' (migration).   

"So the militants didn't need to outsource that much money from outside the organisation," Monirul said.

He also said the police cannot say whether the entire money used in the attack came from the militants' common find before the investigation is complete.

Arms, ammunition came from abroad

According to the case dossier, the militants used nine grenades, five pistols and three AK-22 rifles in the Gulshan attack. Nine safety pins of grenade were found after the rescue operation.

Besides, a machete, three knives, and around 300 bullet shells were recovered.

Monirul said the militants collected the arms, explosives and other ammunition from outside Bangladesh and those entered the country through Chanpainawbganj and Jessore borders.

Militant 'Bara' Mizan, who was arrested from Chanpainawabganj, admitted to supplying the arms and explosives used in the attack, Monirul said.

"But the complete scenario can only be established only after arresting the five absconding suspects," he

Hasnat is a suspect

Former North South University teacher Hasnat Rezaul Karim, his wife and two children were among 13 rescued from the cafe in the raid that ended the siege.

His movements seen in video footage and still images grabbed during the attack arouse suspicion of the investigators. Attacker Nibras was also from North South University, a fact that increased the suspicion about Hasnat's involvement with the attack.

Police detained him on Aug 2 under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows law enforcers making an arrest without any warrant. He was later shown arrested in the case.

Police could not confirm his link with the attack yet, but he was denied bail and remained behind the bar.

Monirul said, "Hasnat Karim is still a suspect in this case. We will speak about his involvement after the investigation is complete."