Staff Reporter :
One suspected militant was killed in a suicidal blast during the law and orkder department’s ‘Operation August Bite’ into Hotel Olio International at Panthapath, about 300 metres from the Bangabandhu Museum where mourners gathered to pay tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the city’s Dhanmondi on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been identified as Saiful Islam, 21, a student of BL College, Khulna. He is son of Abul Khayer from Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, Police said.
“The police cordoned-off the hotel near Square Hospitals at 03:30am, suspecting that militants might be hiding there. Police also blocked the road in front of Square Hospitals to Dhanmondi.” Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit Chief Monirul Islam said this after conclusion of the operation at Dhanmondi-32 around 12:45pm Tuesday.
“Boarders of the all hotel rooms responded to, but not the Room No. 301. None agreed to get out of the room and said that the door won’t be opened before the evening. At one stage, all the residents of the hotel were taken out and the room was locked on outside.,” the CTTC Chief said.
The militant who was staying inside the room rejected the police requests to surrender. At this, members of SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) and CTTC launched the raid, said Monirul Islam.
To weaken the militant, a gas was sprayed. To this, a bomb was exploded, leaving the door and the wall collapsed. Afterwards, the militant exploded another bomb, damaging the veranda. When the operation ended at about 10:30am, Bomb disposal unit defused another bomb, according to CTTC chief.
Saiful Islam, the slain militant, was a member of Neo-JMB, an offshoot of banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), he said.
The CTTC Chief claimed that the militant who blew himself up during the raid into the Hotel Olio International at Panthapath planned for carrying out major attack on the events marking National Mourning Day, Monirul Islam added.
“August is the month of mourning, but not sabotage and confusion. The cell of Neo-JMB grew too desperate to make another occasion in the month”, he mentioned.
A police member was injured in the bomb explosion, said Sanowar Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the CTTC unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
A loud explosion was heard from the hotel at 9:45am, followed by gunfire. The explosion caused a section of the building’s fourth floor wall to collapse. Saiful was found dead in the debris on the fourth floor, the ADC said.
After conclusion of the operation, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque said in a press briefing that Saiful Islam, the slain militant, conspired to carry out a suicide attack in the capital.
One suspected militant was killed in a suicidal blast during the law and orkder department’s ‘Operation August Bite’ into Hotel Olio International at Panthapath, about 300 metres from the Bangabandhu Museum where mourners gathered to pay tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the city’s Dhanmondi on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been identified as Saiful Islam, 21, a student of BL College, Khulna. He is son of Abul Khayer from Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, Police said.
“The police cordoned-off the hotel near Square Hospitals at 03:30am, suspecting that militants might be hiding there. Police also blocked the road in front of Square Hospitals to Dhanmondi.” Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit Chief Monirul Islam said this after conclusion of the operation at Dhanmondi-32 around 12:45pm Tuesday.
“Boarders of the all hotel rooms responded to, but not the Room No. 301. None agreed to get out of the room and said that the door won’t be opened before the evening. At one stage, all the residents of the hotel were taken out and the room was locked on outside.,” the CTTC Chief said.
The militant who was staying inside the room rejected the police requests to surrender. At this, members of SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) and CTTC launched the raid, said Monirul Islam.
To weaken the militant, a gas was sprayed. To this, a bomb was exploded, leaving the door and the wall collapsed. Afterwards, the militant exploded another bomb, damaging the veranda. When the operation ended at about 10:30am, Bomb disposal unit defused another bomb, according to CTTC chief.
Saiful Islam, the slain militant, was a member of Neo-JMB, an offshoot of banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), he said.
The CTTC Chief claimed that the militant who blew himself up during the raid into the Hotel Olio International at Panthapath planned for carrying out major attack on the events marking National Mourning Day, Monirul Islam added.
“August is the month of mourning, but not sabotage and confusion. The cell of Neo-JMB grew too desperate to make another occasion in the month”, he mentioned.
A police member was injured in the bomb explosion, said Sanowar Hossain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the CTTC unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
A loud explosion was heard from the hotel at 9:45am, followed by gunfire. The explosion caused a section of the building’s fourth floor wall to collapse. Saiful was found dead in the debris on the fourth floor, the ADC said.
After conclusion of the operation, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque said in a press briefing that Saiful Islam, the slain militant, conspired to carry out a suicide attack in the capital.
