The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit prepared a charge sheet of Gulshan café attack against 21 persons of them 13 were killed in gunfight, 5 absconding and 4 arrested. The July 1 attack left 20 people, mostly foreigners, and two police officials killed.
North South University teacher Hasnat Reza Karim's name might be dropped from the charge sheet. One other Tahmid has already been relived from the charge sheet. CTTC source said. Investigating sources said Hasnat's involvement in the Gulshan café attack could not be ascertained from his confessional statements, source added.
Mohibul Islam Joint Commissioner of CTTC said they would submit the charge sheet in the much-talked-about Gulshan attack case soon. The probe into the Gulshan attack is at the final stage, he added.
The CTTC sources told The Daily Observer that they have found the involvement of 22 people in the country's worst-ever terrorist attack. Four of the suspects are in jail and five are on the run.
The names of four absconding militants were Hadisur Rahman Sagor, Mamunur Rashid Ripon, Shariful Islam Khalid, and Akram Hossain Khan Niloy. Two other accused - Tamim Ahmed and Sarwar Jahan, who played a vital role in carrying out the barbaric attack - were also killed in different anti-militancy raids conducted in the aftermath of the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan on July 1 2016.
The café attack planners and attackers who have been killed in anti-terror raids include Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Marjan, Sarwar Jahan, Tanvir Kaderi, Maj (retd) Jahid, Maynul Islam alias Musa, Basharuzzaman Chocolate, Mizanur Rahman alias Chhoto Mizan Tarek, Abdullah and Faridul Islam Akash.
Five armed militants swooped on the Holey Artisan Bakery and carried out the massacre. They were killed in an army commando raid the next morning. They were Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Sabeh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal.
Most of the "Neo JMB" leaders who planned and coordinated the attack were killed in different raids.
Suspects arrested in the case include Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, arms supplier Sohel Mahfuz Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan and Rakibul Hasan alias Rigan, Rashed alias Rash.
Sohel Mahfuz, among 4 others, confessed before a magistrate that they were directly involved in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in the capital's Gulshan, court sources said.
Sohel Mahfuz, a key 'Neo JMB' leader, confessed before a magistrate that he had supplied all the bombs used in the Gulshan café attack, court sources said.
In the confessional statement, Sohel said he himself made some of the bombs, collected the rest from India and supplied those to the attackers.
The CTTC source said they would submit the charge sheet showing the four as fugitives if they could not arrest them by then.
The terrorists carried out the attack to draw the attention of global terror outfit Islamic State. They had also planned some follow-up attacks aiming to topple the incumbent government and establish their 'favourable government,' CTTC sources said citing findings of the investigation.
Replying to a query, he said the investigation, however, did not find any link between IS and the local militants behind the attack.
