Café attackers died of bullet, bomb injuries

Five militants and a chef, who were killed during the army-led joint forces operation codenamed "Operation Thunderbolt" at Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital's Gulshan last year, were hit by bullets and bomb splinters, according to doctors.

The forensic medicine department of Dhaka Medical College (DMC) handed over an autopsy report to Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the investigating agency for the café attack, yesterday, a year after the gruesome terror attack.

Inspector Humayun Kabir of the CTTC unit, who is the investigation officer of the Gulshan café attack case, received the report, Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic medicine department at the DMC, told The Daily Star.

On July 6 last year, a team of four forensic specialists from the DMC conducted autopsies on the six bodies at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

"Of the five militants, two were killed in bomb explosions and three others by bullets,” Sohel said, adding that the militants might have tried to commit suicide by exploding bombs.

Fingers and wrists of two militants were blown off in bomb or grenade explosions. The café chef was killed as he was hit by bullets, said Sohel. 

The five militants are Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal. The chef is Saiful Islam.

As nobody claimed their bodies, Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a charity organisation, buried those at Jurain graveyard on September 22 last year.

Asked about the delay in filing the report, Sohel said it took time as they had some other work. “We have to attend medical classes, exams, perform autopsies and prepare their reports too.” 

On July 1 last year, 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, were killed when a group of armed militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, a Bangladeshi American and one Indian were among the dead.

Two policemen were also killed by the attackers during an anti-militancy drive.

On June 19 this year, the DMC forensic department handed over the autopsy report of 20 victims.

According to the report, 18 of the 20 victims were stabbed to death. Two others -- a Bangladeshi and Japanese -- were killed with blows to their heads with heavy objects.

Sohel said the terrorists stabbed some of the bullet-hit persons indiscriminately to confirm their deaths.

A five-month pregnant Italian woman was among the foreign victims, he said.