Similar to Gulshan's
Militants in their 20s, wore same black kurtas, red keffiyeh as did killers at Holey Artisan; black flag resembling IS' found in their rooms
When police asked Rakibul Hasan Reagan his identity, he said he worked as a cook at a mess in “Taj Manzil”.
Law enforcers were interrogating Rakibul at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was taken after he was injured during yesterday's police raid at the house in Kalyanpur.
As police questioned him further, the suspected militant said they belong to “IS”. Police then asked him to spell “IS”. Instead, he elaborated it, saying: “Islamic State”, according to DMCH sources.
Rakibul's claim and the belongings -- IS black flags inscribing “Allahu Akbar” in Arabic letters, black robes, and red and white chequered keffiyeh -- law enforcers seized from the “militant den” brought the IS issue to the fore soon after the drive ended.
Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque, however, said the nine killed in the raid had no connection with Islamic State jihadists although police found black dresses and red keffiyeh inside the rooms.
“We suspect them to be JMB members, but they claim themselves to be part of IS. We've found no IS links with them,” he told reporters in front of the house yesterday morning.
Earlier, the IGP held militants of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) responsible for the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on several occasions shared similar views on the Gulshan café attack, which left 22 people dead.
Around noon, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said that militants killed in Kalyanpur and the gunmen who attacked the Gulshan café might belong to the same group.
“The dresses and backpacks found in the raid are 'as it is' to the ones used by the Gulshan attackers,” he said, adding that special handkerchiefs they found in the house were similar to those used in Gulshan incident.
It primarily appeared that the nine in Kalyanpur and the Gulshan café attackers might be members of the same group, the DMP commissioner said at a press briefing at the DMP headquarters in the capital.
He said all nine militants are between the age of 20 and 25 and most of them are from well-off families. “Most of them were well educated. They wore black panjabis and jeans ... all except one wore a pair of sneakers.”
“Their accents, attitude and dresses suggest that they are from elite class,” he said.
Replying to a query, Asaduzzaman said they would be able to ascertain which organisation the nine militants belonged to after investigation.
The five Gulshan café attackers too had worn black robes and scarves and posed for photographs in front of an IS flag with guns. US-based Site Intelligence, which monitors jihadi activities, on July 2 posted the photos, saying the images were released by IS.
The five were also from well-off families and their ages were similar to Kalyanpur “militants”.
In previous attacks, IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to the Site Intelligence. But the government and police maintained that there is no IS presence in the country and that the attacks were carried out by homegrown militants.