The mastermind behind the Dhaka cafe terror attack on July 1, who also murdered the English Professor Rezaul Karim at Rajshahi University, is Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) leader Mohammed Suleiman, revealed a key Islamic State operative.
According to a Times of India report, Indian national Mohammad Masiuddin alias Abu Musa told the interrogators that the April 23 killing of the Professor and the July 1 terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery were linked to Suleiman. He further revealed that Suleiman had travelled to Kolkata two days after the Professor’s murder and stayed at a hotel with his companion associated with the jihadi outfit and Islamic State, who is yet to be identified.
Meanwhile, security agencies are trying to find out whether the person staying with Suleiman was Abu Ibrahim Al-Hanif alias Tamim Chowdhury, the chief of Islamic State (Bangladesh).
While Bangladesh has intimated that Suleiman and Tamim could be hiding in India, it has already shared photographs and details of the two with Indian security agencies.
Musa told top IB sources that the JMB leader Tamim works under a different name in Dhaka and was involved in the murder of the 61-year-old professor. Musa further told security agencies that Suleiman and another JMB man associated Islamic State met at Malda Station in West Bengal after which they went to Kolkata and stayed in a hotel there.
Agencies add: Top IB sources said according to Musa, the JMB leader works under a different name in Dhaka and was personally involved in the murder of the 61-year-old professor. The IS, through its media arm Amaq Agency, had claimed responsibility for the killing of the professor for “calling to atheism”.
Suleiman and another JMB man associated with Islamic State met Musa in West Bengal. “They met me at Malda station. After that they went to Kolkata and stayed in a hotel there,” Musa is learnt to have disclosed. Musa’s revelations have given Indian investigators some food for thought as it appears that the Dhaka attack and Rajshahi killing masterminds were in India and possibly stayed for a while and planned attacks in India besides deciding on targets in Bangladesh.
