The sisters learnt knifing online
The two Bangladeshi sisters arrested for attacking a man in Australia and a policeman in Dhaka learned operation of a knife from internet videos, said investigators yesterday.
Momena Shoma, 24, now in custody of Australian Federal Police on the charge of stabbing a man in Melbourne, first learned the technique by watching online videos, they said.
Her younger sister Asmaul Husna alias Shumona, 22, was arrested on Sunday night after she had attempted to knife a policeman, when a counter terrorism and transnational crime (CTTC) unit team went to her Kazipara residence in Dhaka to enquire about Momena.
Later, she was remanded for five days and yesterday was the fourth day.
A CTTC unit officer, involved with the interrogation, said Shumona informed them that she had received the training to operate knife from her sister Momena.
Both sisters used to practise the knife techniques at home and Momena instructed Shumona to stab anyone in the abdomen and below the chest to kill the person, said the officer.
Completing honours from NSU English department, Momena went to Australia on February 1 with a scholarship.
Asked about Momena's links with the arrested or killed former NSU students over militant activities, the officer said Shumona told them that she had heard the name of Nibras Islam, killed in Holey Artisan attack, from her sister Momena but did not know whether they had any connection.
Momena was admitted to NSU in 2012 and she reportedly started wearing Burqa after two years.
Asked about it, Saiful Islam, additional deputy commissioner of CTTC unit, said they got several clues after interrogating Shumona and they are working to verify those.
Although the CTTC officials would not get any clue about Nibras or their associates, they came to know that Syria returnee Gazi Kamrus Salam Sohan worked as a middleman to introduce Najibullah Ansari, another militant went to Syria, with Momena.
Momena first met Najibullah at Birdem Hospital in 2014. Sohan, now in Bangladesh jail, brought Ansari to the hospital to donate blood to Momena's mother.
Sohan went to Syria in December 2014 to join IS, believing he was answering a holy call but after five months in the war-torn country, he became disillusioned as he learnt that the terror group kills Muslims as well, according to investigators.
Comments