Police in Bangladesh say they have killed three suspected militants, including an alleged masterminds of a major attack on a cafe last month that left 20 people dead.
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Police sharpshooters raided a two-story house in Narayanganj district near the capital, Dhaka, after receiving a tip that Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-born Canadian, and others were hiding there, top counterterrorism official Monirul Islam said.
Bangladesh national police chief A.K.M Shahidul Hoque told AFP police were “99 percent sure” that Tamim Chowdhury was in the hideout when police launched the assault.
Malaysian police said last month that at least two of the militants behind the cafe attack had attended Monash, although they did not name them. Both officials said Chowdhury was among the militants killed.
A SWAT team made the final push and fatally shot the suspects after they failed to surrender. Haque said the team asked them to give themselves up but that they kept on firing.
Tamim, who was believed to be the local coordinator for Islamic State (IS) in Bangladesh was a high-ranking member of the local militant group called the “New Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)”. Chowdhury was identified by the police as the mastermind of the attack which also included an Indian girl and two police officers.
Officials said security issues, including Dhaka-Washington DC anti-terror cooperation, will feature during Mr Kerry’s talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart on Monday.
Hasnat Karim, holds dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of Toronto University, had been dining separately in the restaurant.
He had arrived in Dhaka on July 1 to celebrate Eid with his family, and planned to travel to Nepal to begin an internship with UNICEF the following week.
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The bakery siege was the deadliest in a series of violent attacks carried out by Islamist militants in Bangladesh over the past several years. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining hostages.
