Dhaka cafe attack suspect Hasanat denied bail again

A Dhaka court has rejected the bail plea of Hasanat Rezaul Karim, a former teacher of North South University who was arrested as a suspect in the Gulshan cafe attack.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Kamrul Hossain Molla passed the order after hearing his bail plea on Sunday.

 

Defence Counsel Shah Mohammad Shahabuddin said Hasanat, who has been on 16 days of remand in two rounds so far, was denied bail by the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Aug 13.

He claimed that Hasanat had been 'trapped in the scene' after going to the cafe with his family to celebrate his daughter's birthday.

“The case does not contain his name, nothing illegal was found in his possession. Police did not find his involvement while interrogating him in remand,” said the lawyer for Hasanat.

Moreover, the court cleared him of charges under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows arrest without warrant on grounds of suspicion, on Sep 28, he added.

Police prosecution wing Assistant Commissioner Nizam Uddin opposed Hasanat’s petition for bail.

Militants killed 20 people, including foreigners, at Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen, an upscale cafe in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, on July 1. Six, including five militants, were killed in a commando drive that ended the siege the next morning.

Police arrested Hasanat Karim on Aug 2 under the Anti Terrorism Act over the attack.

The counterterrorism and transnational crime unit of the police is handling the case in which 14 witnesses have testified so far.