Terror attack ‘mastermind’ Tamim, two others killed in spl drive

Bangladesh-origin Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and two other suspected Islamist extremists were killed in an anti-militant drive carried out by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit in Narayanganj on Saturday.
Tamim was one of the suspected ‘masterminds’ of the attacks at Holey Artisan Bakery in the city’s Gulshan, and Sholakia police checkpoint near Eid congregation in Kishoreganj.
The CTTC started the hour-long ‘Operation Hit Strong 27’ around 9:30am at a den of banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in a two-storey building at Paikpara adjacent to Bara Kabarsthan area.
Monirul Islam, chief of CTTC, said among the victims one resembles Tamim.
At a press briefing, inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque said there was no arrest in the operation.
Only three bodies were recovered. One of them resembles Tamim and identities of others could not be known immediately, the police chief said.
A pistol, an AK-22 assault rifle, and several live grenades were also seized, he added.
Before the operation, the counter terrorism unit of DMP, acting on secret information, took position before the militant hideout since early morning.
Narayanganj district police, Rapid Action Battalion-11 and other law enforcers laid siege to the building for the sake of security.
One Nuruddin Dewan is the owner of the building where the militants used to stay on the top floor.
On July 26, nine suspected extremists were killed during a special drive of the joint forces in Dhaka’s Kalyanpur.
Police on August 2 named Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and sacked army major Syed Md Ziaul Haque, alias Major Zia, as ‘masterminds’ of the recent two attacks.
The inspector general of police announced Tk 20 lakh in bounty for specific information about each of Tamim and Zia.

Police and media outlets crowd outside a house at Paikpara of Narayanganj after an special drive of law enforces in which three people including terror attack ‘mastermind’ Tamim Chowdhury were killed on Saturday.– Sanaul Haque

Among the ‘masterminds’, Tamim was directly involved in the Gulshan attack and he briefed the five attackers of the Gulshan incident at a residence in Bashundhara which was taken rent before the attack, said the police chief, adding that he even took the attackers with him to Gulshan on day before the attack.
The police chief said their investigation found that the duo was members of home-grown Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh though they themselves claim to be associates of West Asia-based militant group Islamic State.
Tamim, 30, son of Shafique Ahmed Chowdhury, of Baragram Sadimapur under Biyanibazar in Sylhet, came to Bangladesh from Dubai by a flight of Ittehad Airlines on October 5, 2013, and Major Zia, son of Syed Md Jillul Haque of Mostafapur under Moulvibazar was sacked from Bangladesh army in 2011, according to police sources.
A group of extremists attacked a Gulshan restaurant, Holey Artisan Bakery, and killed 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals, during a 12-hour siege at the restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone on the first day of July. Two police officers were also killed.
On July 7, another group of extremists attempted to attack the country’s largest Eid congregation at Sholakia. Two policemen and a housewife were killed in the incident.
Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the terror attacks and, while the government has dismissed the claim, security experts say the scale and sophistication of the assault suggested links to trans-national networks.
Analysts say Islamic State in April identified Chowdhury as its national commander.
The suspected Islamist militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigner hostages in the July 1 evening attack, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian before security forces stormed the eatery to end the 12-hour siege.
The government says the July 1 attack — and another on July 26 in which police killed nine militants believed to be plotting a similar assault — were the work of domestic militants.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan talks to newsmen at Paikpara in Narayanganj after an anti-militant operation carried out by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit on Saturday. – Ali Hossain Mintu

The minister for home affairs, Asaduzzaman Khan, visited the site around noon. He claimed that Tamim chapter has been closed and other terror ‘masterminds’ would face the same fate.
The inspector general of police, AKM Shahidul Hoque, said Tamim had taken cover in the Narayanganj militant den following the Kalyanpur raid where nine militants were killed.
The physiognomy of one of the three slain militants is like that of Tamim Chowdhury, he said adding, ‘This is clear that he is Tamim Chowdhury.’
‘Following my order, the CTTC team asked the militants to surrender, but they didn’t. They hurled 4-5 grenades and opened fire at police, forcing the law enforcers to retaliate,’ the IGP said.
Shahidul said the militants had rented the house claiming them as medicine sellers.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net