4 militants linked to Dhaka cafe attack arrested

BANGLADESH POLICE Wednesday said they have arrested four militants belonging to a banned Islamist outfit who carried out the country’s worst terror attack at a popular cafe in Dhaka last year that killed 22 people, including an Indian girl.

The militants belonging to the Neo-jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were arrested during a raid Tuesday night from a house in Jatrabari area where they were staying as tenants under a fake identity, a Rapid Action Battalion spokesman told reporters. He said the four operatives, inclined to the Islamic State terrorist group, carried out the deadlyjuly1cafeattackindhaka. One of the militants was an IT expert of the outfit, he added.

An RAB statement later said the four accused belonged to the Sarwar-tamin group of JMB and of them — Ashfaque-e-azam — was in charge of maintaining websites and providing technical support to the banned outfit.

RAB said they seized two pistols, 21 bullets, four sharp weapons, gun powder and bomb-makingmaterialsfromthe scene. The development came two weeks after police said they have arrested one of the masterminds of July 1, 2016 attack at Holey Artisan restaurant in Dhaka’s upmarket Gulshan area.

Police at that time said the captured militant’s name was Jahangir Alam but was known in the outfit as “Rajib Gandhi”, adding that he was a major recruiter and planner of the group.

PTI