FBI team likely to arrive this week

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials are likely to visit Dhaka this week to help in the Avijit murder investigation, according to a senior police official.

A day after the fatal attack on writer-blogger Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born American citizen, the US Department of State said Washington was ready to assist the investigation, if sought.

Dhaka later decided to seek FBI's assistance.

Meanwhile, Avijit's wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya, who sustained critical injuries in the attack, was flown back to US last night. She too is an American citizen.

Contacted, her father-in-law Prof Ajoy Roy said the US embassy in Dhaka took the responsibility of her going back to the United States.

"Her health improved further," he told The Daily Star, while Square Hospital officials said they released Bonya early yesterday.

Talking to reporters about the investigation yesterday, Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of DMP, said FBI officials might come this week.

The official added a religious fanatic outfit might be involved in the Thursday night's hacking of the couple on Dhaka University campus.

Asked about Ansarullah Bangla 7, which claimed responsibility of the killing on Twitter, he said they were still looking into it.

Police sources said more suspected killers are expected to be arrested soon as investigators are conducting drives in Dhaka and elsewhere.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan, talking to reporters at his secretariat office yesterday, said one more suspect was arrested by detectives but he did not give any details.

FARABI ON REMAND

Shafiur Rahman Farabi, a key suspect arrested on Monday, was placed on a 10-day remand yesterday.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rezaul Islam of Dhaka passed the order after Fazlur Rahman, a Detective Branch inspector and investigation officer of the case, produced him before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.

In the prayer, the officer said Farabi's comments incited the killing.

The arrested youth needs to be remanded to know the whereabouts of those who executed the murder and to recover the weapons the killers used, he added.  

Farabi, who had issued repeated death threats to Avijit, was held by the Rapid Action Battalion at Jatrabari, Rab officials said.

No lawyer was defending Farabi, a 29-year-old who was detained twice before -- for vandalism at Chittagong University in 2010, and in 2013 for issuing death threat to the imam who conducted namaz-e-janaza of slain blogger Rajib Haider.

 Joint Commissioner Monirul said they are yet to find Farabi's direct involvement in the killing, but undoubtedly he was the instigator.

"We will get crucial information about the killing once Farabi is extensively interrogated," he said.