Militants Maj Zia, Marzan to be arrested anytime: Minister

Sacked army Major Syed Ziaul Haque and Nurul Islam Marzan, who had played vital roles in Gulshan café attack and targeted killings, will be arrested anytime, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said today.

“They (Maj Zia and Marzan) will be arrested anytime as they are under surveillance,” the minister said while talking to reporters after attending a programme at Shishu Academy in Dhaka city.

According to the police, Maj Zia, the alleged military wing chief of banned militant outfit Ansar al Islam, had a hand in the targeted killings and blogger killings. Marzan was the “operational commander” of the militant attack at Holey Artisan Bakery café in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on July 1.

Militants are everywhere around the world and militants in Bangladesh are now under control, the minister said.

READ MORE: Eyes on top militants

The minister’s remarks came a day after the raid at an Ashkona house where two militants were killed and four others surrendered to police.

Maj Zia

Son of Syed Md Zillul Haque, Zia is from Mostafapur of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila. He made headlines in 2012 while trying to engineer a military coup that failed.

Ansar Al Islam claimed responsibility for some of the targeted killings of secularist writers, bloggers and gay rights activists.

Around 200 of its trained members are active in the country to execute the plans of Zia, detectives say, based on the statements of some of its arrested members.

Zia has been dodging police dragnet since 2012. Among the members of his group, Zia is known as Sagar and Ishtaq.

Marzan

Marzan is aged around 25 and a student of Arabic department at Chittagong University. He, a “top-level militant organiser”, was the “operational commander” of the Gulshan café attack, police said.

Militants sent pictures and situation reports to Marzan from inside the café during the siege on the night of July 1. And Marzan sent those pictures to Tamim Chowdhury, a suspected mastermind of the café attack. The photos were published by propaganda wings of the Islamic State.

ALSO READ: Marzan missing for 8 months

According to DMP's Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime unit Chief Monirul Islam, Marzan had the overall charge of the Gulshan attack.

Police also said Marzan looked after the information and technology affairs and operational issues of “New JMB”, an offshoot of Jama'atul Mujahedeen Bangladesh.