Holey Artisan Café Attack At Gulshan
A group of gunmen stormed an upscale eatery in the city's Gulshan neighbourhood and murdered 22 people mostly foreigners on July 1.
Gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery and Cafe in Dhaka before army commandos entered almost 12 hours later in the morning of July 2. Six attackers were killed and one was arrested, officials said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had declared two days of national mourning for the death of nine Italians, seven Japanese, one US and an Indian citizen.
Japan said one of its nationals was among 13 people rescued. The seven that died were consultants for Japan's foreign aid agency and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said they 'were giving their all for the development of Bangladesh.' Two Sri Lankans were also among those rescued.
Nine Italians named by the Italian Foreign Ministry were Cristian Rossi, Marco Tondat, Nadia Benedetti, Adele Puglisi, Simona Monti, Claudia Maria D'Antona, Vincenzo D'Allestro, Maria Rivoli and Claudio Cappelli. Names of seven Japanese were not released.
Three Bangladeshis named in the national media were Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain and Abinta Kabir, both students at Emory University in the US and Ishrat Akhond. It is believed Abinta Kabir could also be a US citizen. One Indian, Tarushi Jain, 18, was a student at the University of California in Berkeley.
Among the Gulshan attackers, almost all were part of similarly privileged society and all disappeared willingly. Of the deceased militants, Nibras Islam was a student of Monash University in Malaysia, Rohan Imtiaz was a student of Scholastica School, Meer Saameh Mubasher was an 'O' Level candidate at Sunnydale School, Shafiqul Islam Ujjal graduated from the Bogra Govt Azizul Haque College and Khairul Islam Payel was a Madrasa student.
Sholakia Eidgah Attack
Four people, including two policemen, a woman and a suspected assailant, died in the attack near Sholakia Eidgah where hundreds of thousand of people had congregated for Eid prayers on the morning of July 7.
Two policemen, one woman and an 'attacker' were killed. Cops and miscreants traded gunfire for hours trapping about 300,000 Muslims in the Eidgah. The incident took place within a week of the Gulshan restaurant attack.
The Sholakia attacker Abir Rahman was a BBA student at North South University.
Kalyanpur Militant
Den Raid
Nine alleged militants were killed during a special drive of the joint forces in Dhaka's Kalyanpur, ending an overnight standoff that ensued with a raid to hunt down "militants" on July 26.
Police believe the attacks on the Gulshan restaurant and Sholakia Eidgah were both carried out by JMB militants who were trying to wield the emblem of the Islamic State. The militants said to have hurled handmade bombs at the law enforcers, who in retaliation, fired several rounds of rifle shots. The occupants of the building and residents of the adjacent areas were evacuated overnight.
The militants were holed up in the fifth floor of the building. Police said they had rented the flat and were living there.
Several hundred bullets were heard to have been fired during an hour-long operation "Storm 26." Nine alleged militants were said to have been killed on the spot.
The alleged militant who was held with bullet-wounds from the scene was identified as Hassan, hailing from Bogra. He claimed to be a student of Govt Shah Sultan College of Bogra.
The detainee told doctors that he along with ten others live on the fourth floor of the building from where he jumped off sensing the presence of police.
He told them that he was an operative of the Islamic State. Inspector General of Police later said he was more likely to be a JMB operative - those who carried out Gulshan and Sholakia attacks.
Identities of eight of the nine suspected militants, who were killed, have been confirmed. They were Robin, Ovi, Sabbir, Atik, Sohan, Imran, Taposh and Iqbal.
Hassan said that he had been living with them in the building for the last one year where he worked as a cook. However, police did not reveal anything about the deceased militants.
Azimpur Raid
The Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit captured three suspected female militants during a raid at a militant den in Dhaka's Azimpur area on September 10 while another killed himself.
The suspected militant killed during an anti-terror operation at a house in Azimpur is Tanvir Qaderi from Gaibandha, not 'Samshed' from Rajshahi's Boalia, police say. Police detained Tanvir alias Shipar's father 'Baten', sister Tanzila Qaderi and her husband Ziaul Islam from their house at Batikamari village. "He is Tanvir Qaderi from Gaibandha, not Shamsad from Rajshahi's Boalia," he said.
The accused are suspected Neo-JMB member Tanvir, his wife Abedatul Fatema alias Khadiza, their son Tahrin Qaderi Rasel, 'Afrin' alias 'Priyoti' and Shaila Afrin.
Operation 'Hit Strong 27' At Narayanganj.
The operation 'Hit Strong 27,' a special anti-militant drive of joint forces that killed three militants including Gulshan attack mastermind Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, began on August 27 after the law enforcers suspected that Tamim might be hiding in Paikpara of Narayanganj.
Sensing presence of the members of the joint forces, the militants fired shots at the troops, triggering a gunfight. Two of the militants hurled grenade at the law enforcers when the latter tried to enter the apartment.
After a pause for a while, another grenade was hurled as the troops again approached to enter there. They also hurled another grenade through the window which remained unexploded.
Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury had entered Bangladesh in 2013 and subsequently took it upon himself to coordinate "Neo JMB" -- a militant group far more radical and terrifying than the original Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The "Neo JMB" is inspired by the ideology of Islamic State, skilled in modern technology and equipped with sophisticated firearms. It carried out series of attacks across the country.
Tamim, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent and the operation commander of the "Neo JMB", was one of the masterminds of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Gulshan on July 1 and the Sholakia Eid congregation attack in Kishoreganj on July 7, according to law enforcers.
Tamim was considered the most "intelligent and cunning" leader of the group.
Gazipur Militant Den Raid
Eleven suspected militants have been killed in gunfights with law enforcers in three separate raids in Gazipur and Tangail districts on October 8.
The CTTC unit of the police conducted one of the raids and elite force RAB the other two.
In another drive carried out in Ashulia area of Savar, RAB arrested Abdur Rahman, the main financier of the recent terrorist attacks, and recovered Tk30 lakh, a pistol, ammunition, five knives, a mobile jammer and radical books from his possession.
Police ceased operation and asked the militants to surrender. The militants fired more shots at the law enforcers. At 3:00pm, police carried out the final drive which went on for about 40 minutes. At least 14 grenades were thrown from the house exploded.
Of the deceased, one is Faridul Islam alias Akash alias Pravat, the Dhaka division's operational commander of New JMB. The identities of the other six have not been confirmed.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal later told journalists that Akash had been trying to mobilise the New JMB group since the death of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury in Narayanganj raid in August.
Sources said the missing elder son of Tanvir Qaderi, who committed suicide during the Azimpur raid, was among the seven militants killed in Patartek raid. At the end of the operation, police recovered three small arms and locally-made sharp weapons.
Two suspected militants were killed during an operation by RAB at a den in Lebubagan area of Gazipur, about 500 metres from the Patartek den. The killed militants were primarily identified as Rashed Mia and Touhidul Islam, of Narsingdi, but RAB was checking whether these identities were real.
In another raid carried out by RAB, two suspected militants were killed in a three-storey building in Mirzamath area of Kagmara in Tangail town on October 8 morning. The militants had been identified as Atiqur Rahman and Sagar Hossain from Rajshahi Charghat.
Ashkona Raid
Two people died, one hit by bullet of the law enforcers and the other by blasting suicide vest to evade arrest, during a police raid on a militant den at Ashkona in capital's Uttara area on December 24.
Body of one of the militants - Afif Qaderi, son of militant Tanvir Qaderi who committed suicide during police action earlier - was still inside the first-floor flat of the house that law enforcers suspect was used as an office. "We think he committed suicide. A pistol is lying beside his body."
Also during the operation, a suspected militant named Shakira detonated her suicide vest while rushing to police with her four-year-old daughter Sabina in an apparent motive to blow herself up in the midst of policemen. She was, however, still a few steps away from the law enforcers when her suicide vest detonated.
Shakira was killed in the blast with part of her body badly damaged and Sabina suffered severe injuries. A police official was also wounded.
Shakira first married Iqbal, father of Sabina. After Iqbal died from cancer, she married Suman.
Besides, two women -- wife of Maj (Retd) Zahid, allegedly the trainer of Gulshan and Sholakia attackers, and wife of "Neo JMB" leader Maynul Musa -- surrendered with two babies. After Shaira's death, Afif alias Ador alias Abir opened fire at police from inside the flat.
Sohagi Jahan Tanu murder
No headway was made in the murder case of college student Sohagi Jahan Tanu, whose body was found in the Comilla Cantonment area on March 20.
Law enforcers are yet to detain any suspect or quiz anyone apart from the family members.
Meanwhile, different socio-political organisations continued demonstrations at different parts of the country.
A mass signature campaign began at Shahbagh intersection, demanding immediate arrest of Tanu's killer(s).
The Ganajagaran Mancha organised the campaign, also pressing for "capital punishment to rapists, implementation of High Court guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of women and children and security of women everywhere."
In Comilla, several organisations joined locals at Pubali Chattar of Kandirpar area in a protest rally.
