Confusion over the number of attackers involved was partly cleared up when police said among the six people killed by security forces when they stormed the café to end a 12-hour siege was pizza maker Saiful Islam Chowkidar.
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Monday marks the second day of national mourning after seven jihadists (six of whom were killed and one arrested) attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery, located in the diplomatic area of Dhaka and frequented by many foreigners, on Friday.
But, the Islamic State named the five gunmen in photos they released hours after the attack as Abu Umayer, Abu Salma, Abu Rahiq, Abu Muslim and Abu Muharib.
It was one of the deadliest attacks in Bangladesh, where ISIL and al-Qaeda have claimed a series of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack and warned that citizens from “crusader countries” would not be safe ‘as long as their aircrafts are killing Muslims, ‘ the group said in a statement. The men belonged to the banned domestic group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, and their families hadn’t heard from them in months, according to police.
Naming the five attackers in a case filed yesterday allows police to launch official investigations, including questioning their families.
“They are members of the Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh”, Khan said.
Three of them hailed from wealthy families and studied in posh schools and universities at home and overseas while the rest two came from a rural background and poorer families.
The Higher Education Ministry will investigate allegations that a Bangladeshi terror suspect had once studied at a private university in Malaysia.
Muhammad Zamir, a former senior foreign ministry official, said the pictures which were uploaded on Twitter indicate that they might have been encouraged by ISIS activities overseas too. Six were killed yesterday and we suspect all of them are militants. Masudur Rahman, deputy police commissioner of Dhaka police, said officers were probing those links.
“That’s what we’re absolutely riveted by”, said Kazi Anis Ahmed, a writer and publisher of the daily newspaper, the Dhaka Tribune.
Analysts said the government is wary of acknowledging that foreign groups are operating in Bangladesh for fear that it could scare away foreign investors in its US$26 billion (S$35 billion) garment industry, which includes major retailers like Uniqlo and Gap. Another man, initially regarded as one of the rescued hostages, is also being held.
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Another of the cafe attackers was identified by multiple sources as Mir Saameh Mubasheer, who was due to sit his A-levels at Scholastica, an elite English language school, but disappeared in February. They did not confirm earlier reports that police may have mistakenly shot him.
