Police named the suspect as JMB leader Tamim Chowdhury.
Advertisement
The pro-ISIS group Chowdhury has been said to lead has been an active one, claiming responsibility for a series of recent attacks on secular and atheist bloggers, activists, journalists, academics and LGBTQ people, as well as attacks on Shiite mosques in the country.
Acting on a tip, the police and members of the Rapid Action Battalion on Saturday morning encircled a three-story house in Paikpara, where the suspects were believed to be hiding in a second-floor apartment, officials said.
Kerry’s visit comes two days after Bangladesh police shot dead the suspected mastermind of the cafe attack during a gunbattle outside Dhaka.
Diplomatic sources said Bangladesh, India and the U.S. are constantly exchanging intelligence about terrorism related activities and this cooperation is credited with halting potential attacks.
The Bangladeshi government, however, has been reluctant to admit the so-called Islamic State has a presence in the country.
Analysts say Islamic State in April identified Chowdhury as its national commander in Bangladesh.
Jamaat leader Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in May following his conviction for war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence, during which Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan.
The sources also said deportation of AM Rashed Chowdhury, a fugitive convicted killer in the Bangabandhu murder case, will be discussed during Kerry’s talks with the PM and the foreign minister. He said he had not spoken to Chowdhury’s parents since news of their son’s death.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, official sources at the PMO and foreign ministry said an important item on Dhaka’s agenda during the talks with Kerry is Bangladesh’s request for the U.S. to reinstate duty-free entry of the country’s textile products.
Police on August 2 announced a US$25,000 (RM100,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Chowdhury, who disappeared after allegedly masterminding the cafe attack.
“The Bangladeshi community here condemns this, we hate this, and we don’t like this”, he said.
“It’s a shame”, he said.
Mohammed Ali, president of the Bangladesh Association of Hamilton, said he was angry.
She said there was “lots of offer” on the table to boost Bangladesh’s counter-terrorism capabilities. “No Canadian, no human can support these things”.
“This policy stems from deep conviction that talking about the lives of such individuals only dignifies their heinous acts and serves their twisted quest for fame”, the statement said.
“We do not only condemn and reject all forms of violence in the name of our noble faith, but renew our commitment and determination to expose the criminal and anti-Islamic nature of extremism and terrorism”. He’s also accused of being behind the attack on an Eid congregation outside Dhaka on July 7 marking the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. Four people died in that attack, including two police officers.
Advertisement
“This is a significant progress for our counterterrorism drive because Tamim was responsible for collecting finances and later distributing them, recruiting and radicalizing members of elite families”, Mr. Islam said. They have steadfastly maintained his innocence.
