CTTC finds involvement of 15 ‘Neo-JMB’ men

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has claimed to have found link of 15 activists of banned militant outfit “Neo-JMB” with the suicide bomb blast that took place at a hotel on Panthapath on August 15, 2017.

Of them, one Saiful Islam was killed during a drive at the Hotel Olio, located around half a kilometre off Bangabandhu Memorial Museum -- the historic house in Dhanmondi where the Father of the Nation was brutally killed along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975.

“On completion of investigation, we found involvement of 15 militants including Saiful. And we have sought government’s approval to frame charges against the 14 suspects in this connection,” Monirul Islam, chief of CTTC, said on Sunday.

“All 14 suspects were believers of the ideology of the Islamic State. They believed that they would be allowed to communicate with the IS if they become successful to carry out a huge massacre on that day,” Monirul said.

Talking to reporters at the DMP Media Centre, Monirul said the miscreants had planned to carry out an attack on the crowd paying homage to Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 on National Mourning Day.

Of the 14, one Akram Hossain Khan Niloy was the mastermind of the blast, while Tanvir, Yasin Karim, his wife Humaira Zakir Nabila, Abu Turab Khan, Niloy’s mother Sadia Hosna Lucky and sister Tazrin Khanam Shuvo were financers of the attack, he  said.

Abdullah Aichan Kabiraj, Abul Kashem Fakir, Lulu Sardar alias Shahid Mistri and Tajul Islam Chhoton supplied bomb-making materials, Monirul said. Nazmul Hasan Mamun made the bomb while Saiful was supposed to carry out the suicide attack.

Besides, Abdullah -- a converted Muslim, along with Abdullah Aichan Kabiraj, Abul Kashem Fakir, Kamrul Islam Shakil and Tarique Mohammad Adnan provided shelter to the militants and patronised them, according to the findings of the investigation.

Of the 14 suspsects, 10 have already given confessional statements to court under section 164 of their involvement, including bomb-maker Mamun, said the CTTC chief. 

Monirul said Saiful, who was killed during the operation, was once a supporter of Chhatra Shibir.