Court Correspondent :
The Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka will deliver its verdict against eight accused in Holey Artisan Cafe attack case today (Wednesday).
Judge of the tribunal Md Mujibur Rahman will pronounce the verdict, said Public Prosecutor of the court Golam Sarwar Khan Zakir yesterday.
On November 17, the judge fixed the date after submission of the arguments by both sides.
The public prosecutor demanded death penalty for the eight accused, while the defence argued for fair judgement.
Militants killed 20 people, most of them foreigners, in the grisly attack in Holey Artisan Bakery in the city’s upscale Gulshan area on July 1, 2016. Two police officials laid down their lives while trying to save people. Later, five militants were killed in a commando attack.
Police, filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Gulshan Police Station of the city.
On July 23, 2018, Counter Terrorism Department Inspector Humayun Kabir, who is also the Investigation Officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet in the CMM court, which later, ordered for transferring the case to the present tribunal on July 26. Of the 21 accused, 13 were acquitted from the case because of their death.
Meanwhile, though successful operations have contained militancy, threats, however not big, are still there. Islamist radicals are still active online to spread their ideology and make recruitments, said counter-terrorism officials. They said the Neo JMB now has no charismatic leaders, hardcore activists, financiers, planners, organizers and motivators. The group also does not have the supply of arms and ammunitions.
CTTC unit chief Monirul Islam said on Monday, the number of terrorist incidents has come down by 90 percent last year from that of in 2016. But radicalization is on the rise.
Militancy analyst Shahaab Enam Khan observed after the café attack law enforcers have gained three capacities.
Firstly, they have improved substantial understanding of detection. Secondly, law enforcement agencies are building interface with the community as tackling radicalization has to be community-led. Thirdly, there is sharing of intelligence among agencies.
Shahab, an International Relations Professor at the Jahangirnagar University, also said the current state of militancy in Bangladesh is manageable, but there is no reason to be complacent over the situation.
