Nibras used to be just like you and me
In the wake of the Dhaka attack that left 22 people killed, the nation is trying to come to terms with the identity of the killers who, it looks like, came from affluent families and even shared similar backgrounds as some of their victims in the attack.
Nibras Islam, 22, the tall and lanky assailant, went to North South University, one of the top-private schools in the country, and later went to Monash University (Malaysia campus), played football and even went partying.
The cold-blooded murderer, who appears smiling from ear to ear in the photos posted by US-based Site Intelligence Group, was a friend to many.
SITE said the photos of the five youths were released by global terror outfit Islamic State (IS) which claimed the attack hours into the siege began on Friday night.
READ MORE: Dhaka gunman a popular student
In the wake of the attacks and the social media frenzy of identifying the killers, videos and old photos of the attackers have surfaced on the social media.
In one of two of Nibras’ videos that have come in the public eye, Nibras is seen in a car with friends, joking, laughing and pulling a joke on one of their friends. He asks his friend to spell the word ‘Fish’ in the video, the friend refuses and then Nibras and his other friends continue to laugh and crack jokes amongst each other.
Whilst in another one, he is seen wishing birthday to one of his friends whom he hasn’t met in a long time. He talks about how he misses playing with his friend in the same team.
“Eighth October, this is the day you came into the world. I don’t wish you birthday, but may God’s blessings be with you at all times,” Nibras says in the video.
The Facebook account of Nibras Islam is filled with pictures of him with friends. There is even one showing him meeting a Bollywood actress.
On the face of it, the suspects appeared to have led normal lives, typical of people from similar elite backgrounds.
One of them played football, another enjoyed listening to music while a third was fond of racing his car through Dhaka's streets at night with his friends, reports BBC.
But at some point, all of them changed, became reclusive and then disappeared from public eyes.
Two of the five young militants who have killed 22 innocent people Friday night at Holey Artisan Bakery used to follow three controversial Islamists – Anjem Choudary, Shami Witness and Zakir Nayek, according to media reports.
Anjem Choudary and Shami Witness, whom Nibras had been following on Twitter since 2014, are suspected recruiters of IS.