Three of the gunmen who killed 22 people in the bloody Dhaka terror attack on Friday have been identified by their photographs.
The photographs were released by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who claimed responsibility for the attack, while the Bangladesh government vehemently denied ISIS’ presence in their backyard.
One of the gunmen has been identified as Rohan Ibne Imtiaz, the son of a member of the Awami League, Bangladesh’s ruling party.
Imtiaz completed his A-levels from Scholastica, known as a school for the children of well-to-do families in Dhaka. His mother is a teacher at the school.
A person named Mahbub Rajib, a former classmate of Imtiaz’s, posted a family photo of the suspected attacker.
Imtiaz’s father, Imtiaz Babul lodged a police complaint on 4 January stating that his son was missing.
The other two killers who have been identified appear to be Meer Saameh Mubasher, another Scholastica student according to Times of India, and Nibras Islam, who went to International Turkish Hope School, also an elite institution.
Their former classmates identified them, and put together a collage on social media.
The three terrorists were identified from pictures released by ISIS, even as the Bangladesh government insisted the attack was perpetrated by homegrown terror outfit – Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s ISI and Jamaat connection is well known .. they want to derail the current government. All victims were hacked to death like Jamaat and local terror groups do.Hossain Toufique Imam, Political Adviser to PM Sheikh Hasina
Increasing reports of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Jamaat-e-Islami being in cohorts with the ruling Awami league spell concern for the security establishment in the country, says TOI.
If an Awami leader’s son can be a terrorist, any JMB link will only complicate the situation.An Intelligence official
A senior Bangladesh government official, quoted in the TOI report, said the nation’s youth has been “thoroughly indoctrinated” and even children from rich and educated families have “turned into killers.”
Also Read: Dhaka Attack: Eyewitness Records Chilling Mobile Footage
Six of the attackers were also killed. The attackers reportedly shouted Islamic slogans when they set upon the innocents at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s upscale diplomatic heart of Gulshan.
The assailants killed two policemen who tried to enter the cafe, after taking a number of hostages.
Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said five of the dead gunmen were listed as militants and police had been looking for them.
Police identified them as
- Akash
- Bikash
- Don
- Bandhon
- Ripon
Police have also released photos of the gunmen killed during the raid.
Army commandos stormed the eatery on Saturday morning and rescued 13 hostages, killing six attackers and arresting one.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)