Three killed Tavella

Shakhawat Hossain alias Sharif, one of the four suspected murderers of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella, yesterday told a Dhaka court that the three others were directly involved in the killing and that he did not have any role in the murder.

The three other suspects are Tamjid Ahmed alias Rubel alias Shooter Rubel, Russell Chowdhury alias Chakki Russell, and Minhazul Arifin Russell alias Bhagne Russell.

Sharif said that on the day of the killing, Bhagne Russell forcibly took his motorbike for two hours, saying his "Boro Bhai" MA Matin, brother of former BNP ward councillor Md Qaiyum at Badda, asked him to do something using the motorbike.

But Sharif did not know what exactly they would do with his motorbike and he waited for hours and tried repeatedly to communicate with Bhagne Russell but failed.

Later he came to know that Bhagne Russell, Shooter Rubel and Chakki Russell killed the Italian man using his motorbike, he said, adding that he also learned that detectives seized his motorcycle.

Sharif said he was arrested even though he was not involved.          

Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan recorded the statement of Sharif for three hours and sent him to Dhaka Central Jail.

Earlier, two others -- Shooter Rubel and Bhagne Russell -- confessed to the same magistrate that they along with Chakki Russell killed the Italian man.

Another accused, Chakki Russell, is on an eight-day remand.

Chakki and Bhagne Russell said their main objective was to create panic in the diplomatic areas including Gulshan.