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Published : 27 Aug 2016, 03:29 PM
Police said on Saturday that the Canadian-Bangladeshi was killed when they raided a militant hideout in Narayanganj, some 30 kilometres south of capital Dhaka.
He had been identified as the recruiter and trainer of the five gunmen, who barged into an upscale cafe at the capital's diplomatic zone and were later killed when army commandos stormed the eatery, popular with foreigners in Dhaka.
The attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen on the night of Jul 1 left 22 people killed, including 17 foreigners and two police officers.
Six days later when Muslims in Bangladesh were celebrating one of their largest festivals the Eid-ul-Fitr, two men attacked police at Kishoreganj's Sholakia, a small sleepy town that hosts the country's largest Eid congregation.
Tamim’s name came up on the list of 10 “missing” people released by the authorities after it emerged that Gulshan café killers and the Sholakia attackers had been reported by their families to police as missing.
His family hails from the northeastern Bangladesh district of Sylhet.
His father Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury, who was a mariner, immigrated to Canada in the early 1970s.
The 30-year-old was a resident of Windsor until he went missing in 2013.
International media reports, citing several Islamic State publications, have described him as the coordinator of Middle East-based group’s Bangladesh operations.
Police handout shows possible disguises used by Tamim
Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque had then said Tamim led the 'Neo-JMB', which emerged after the JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) split.
He also had ruled out any connection between the outfit and the Islamic State.
In a press conference, when police announced a Tk 2 million (US$ 25,000) reward, Tamim was claimed to be the 'mastermind' of the Dhaka cafe attack.
“We have information that Tamim recruited the attackers, briefed them before the attack,” the Bangladesh Police chief had said.
After the attacks last month in Dhaka and Kishoreganj's Sholakia, police have been conducting search operations across the country for hideouts used by militants.
During a routine search in late July, police came under attack from militants holed up in an apartment at Dhaka's Kalyanpur. A SWAT team later stormed the apartment when nine suspected militants were gunned down.
Police had then said Tamim stayed at that apartment for a few days.
Police say Tamim was killed during a raid at this building in Narayanganj
After a gunfight, which lasted for an hour, police said that three persons, including Tamim have been killed.
Police said the militants had set fire to the building as soon as law-enforcers moved to enter the building, which they suspect to be an attempt to destroy important documents.
Despite ruling out any connection between Tamim and the Islamic State, Bangladesh Police chief Hoque told the media on Saturday that the Canadian-Bangladeshi had been to Syria.
"He had come to Bangladesh after being trained in Syria. The Neo-JMB, led by Tamim, was behind the attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia."
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the 'Tamim Chowdhury chapter ended' with Saturday's raid.
"We will be able to nab the rest of the militants soon," he said while speaking to the media after visiting the scene.
