Holey Artisan terror attack: Court to announce verdict on Nov 27

A Dhaka court will deliver its verdict in a case over the 2016 terror attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Nov 27.

Dhaka’s Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal Judge Mohammad Mojibur Rahman set the date after hearing the arguments of the state and the defence in the case, said Public Prosecutor Golam Sarwar Khan Zakir.

The terrorist attack on July 1, 2016, left 22 people dead.

It came after the eight defendants in the case pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the carnage.

The court finished recording testimonies of 113 witnesses on Oct 27 with Investigation Officer Humayun Kabir, an inspector with the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, being the last one.

In his testimony, investigator Humayun said the militants targeted Holey Artisan bakery to make their presence in Bangladesh known to the world and soil the country’s image in order to establish radical Islamic rule.

Out of the 21 suspects he identified, 13 have been killed in raids at different times and the eight remaining accused are behind bars.

Those eight are Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Rashedul Islam alias Rash, Sohel Mahfuz, Mizanur Rahman alias Baro Mizan, Hadisur Rahman Sagar, Shariful Islam and Mamunur Rashid.

The 13 killed in raids include the five killed in the assault to free hostages from the eatery.

The young militants killed 22 people, including 17 foreigners and two police officers, in the attack on July 1, 2016.

In his statement to the court, Jahangir, hailing from Gaibandha, said he was a member of the Middle East-based radical group Islamic State and was involved in the 2015 murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur.

He also said he first joined Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB in 2002 and then the IS through its leaders Tamim Chowdhury and Sarwar Jahan when “Khilfat was declared in Syria”.

Jahangir, however, claimed he knew Tamim was planning an attack in 2016, but every member of the group other than Tamim himself, Sarwar and Nurul Islam Marzan was unaware of the target.

Tamim, Sarwar and Marzan are among the 13 killed in different anti-terrorism raids.

However, Mizan, the other accused, claimed he was not the militant suspect named in the case, but a fish trader from Bogura.