Eighth militant ‘trainer of Dhaka attackers’
Police today identified the eighth militant killed in Dhaka raid as a missing youth from Rangpur who trained Gulshan cafe attackers and was the acting chief of the group in the capital.
- Raihan was Dhaka zone JMB commander
- He is an accused of Ashulia cop murder
- He trained Dhaka attackers in Gaibandha
- Ninth militant yet to be identified
He is said to be one Raihan Kabir, son of Shahjahan Kabir from Rangpur’s Pirgachha. Following this, only one other militant remains to be identified into the Dhaka raid where nine militants were killed.
“He was a trainer of Gulshan attackers,” said Monirul Islam, Dhaka police’s Anti-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Unit chief, told reporters in a press briefing this morning.
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Police formerly knew him as Tareq and was looking for him under this name in the murder case of a policeman in Ashulia last December. Cops suspect, he was the acting chief of militants in Dhaka.
Tuesday’s Dhaka raid in Kalyanpur began with a block raid after midnight and ended with a special operation of the joint forces – codenamed “Storm 26” – that morning. Nine militants were killed.
READ MORE: Dhaka raid militants similar to Gulshan's
One militant was held captive, who identified himself as a follower of the Islamic State. Another suspected militant managed to escape. Police said they were militants of banned outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina commended the operation, thanked the law enforcers and intelligence agencies, and said the swift actions helped save the country from a major catastrophe.
Until yesterday, seven of the militants could be identified. Among them was a youth who was a student of privately-run North South University. Some were also from madrasa background.
Last night, a case was filed in this regard naming eight militants – including the one held captive – and some other anonymous persons. The case was filed under Anti-Terrorism Act.