Holey Artisan Attack: Suspect 'confesses' training militants

Aslam Hossain Rashed alias Rash, an alleged key “Neo JMB” militant, yesterday confessed to a magistrate that he had coordinated arms training for the Gulshan cafe attackers.

In his confessional statement, Rashed said he collected arms and explosives from another “Neo JMB” leader Sohel Mahfuz who smuggled arms and explosives from India, court sources said.  

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Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury recorded the statement for over three hours and sent Rashed to jail. 

Rashed also said he had received arms for the café attack from Sagor and Chhoto Mizan at a Shewrapara den of the militants in the city days before the incident.

Later, the arms were handed over to another planner, Nurul Islam Marjan, and finally used in the Gulshan attack on July 1 last year that left 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, and two policemen dead.

Earlier in the day yesterday, Humayun Kabir, an inspector of CTTC, and also the investigation officer of the case, produced Rashed at the chamber of the metropolitan magistrate for recording of the confessional statement.

Rashed, 20, a “close aide” to Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the chief coordinator of “Neo JMB” was arrested in Natore on July 28.

The following day he was placed on a six-day remand. Later he was placed on another six-day remand for quizzing about the café attack.

Another “Neo JMB” leader Sohel Mahfuz on July 23 confessed before a magistrate that he had supplied all the bombs used in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack.

Rashed earlier told interrogators that two of the five cafe attackers -- Meer Saameh Mubasheer and Rohan Imtiaz -- had received training in throwing grenades in the middle of river Buriganga.

Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit Monirul Islam said following the arrests of Rashed and Sohel Mahfuz, the charge sheet of the terror attack case would be submitted.