The nation on Saturday paid tributes to the victims, mostly foreigners, killed in the deadliest militant attack at Holey Artisan Café at Gulshan in the city on the first anniversary of the massacre.
A group of young ‘misguided’ terrorists with sophisticated arms stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan diplomatic zone in the city on July 1 last year killing 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals, including Italian and Japanese. Two police officials were also killed during the 12-hour hostage standoff.
Besides, five militants were also killed after the operation “Thunderbolt”‘ conducted by a team of the 1st Para-commando Battalion of the Bangladesh Army.
To mark the day, the Holey Artisan Café at Gulshan Road No 79 remained opened for all between 10:00am and 2:00pm yesterday.
Survivors of Café attack and relatives of the victims cried and prayed as they gathered there since 10 in the morning for memorials to mark the first anniversary of the deadliest attack that is still haunting the country.
Apart from relatives and survivors, leaders of different political parties, including Awami League, BNP, socio-cultural organisations, members of civil society and police personnel also paid their homage to the victims by placing floral wreaths.
They fell silent while remembering those killed in the horrific rampage unleashed by the militants one-year back and many of them burst into tears.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Ambassador of Japan Masato Watanabe, Ambassador of Italy Giorgio Guglielmino and representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), among others, have paid their homage to the victims.
Memorial was also held at the Central Shaheed Minar where Sammilita Sangskritik Jote arranged a peace rally. Besides, Ganojagoran Mancha arranged a memorial meeting and candle lighting at Shahbagh on the day.
To mark the anniversary, the Foreign Ministry, the embassies of Japan and Italy as well as different public and private organizations also held different programmes.
A four-member delegation of Italy is now in city to pay homage to their nine nationals killed in the Gulshan attack.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the government is able to keep militancy and terrorism under control.
“We could not root out militancy and terrorism from the country but it is under control with the help of common people,” he told reporters at Holey Artisan cafe in Gulshan.
Quader, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Division, accompanied by Awami League Joint General Secretaries Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, had been there to pay tributes to the victims of the last year’s Holey Artisan cafe attack. They also placed wreaths there.
The minister said, “If the government gets cooperation from all, it would be able to root out militancy and terrorism.”
BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi paid respect by placing wreaths at Holey Artisan Bakery on Saturday.
Terming the incident tragic, Rizvi said the extremists are involved in the incident. The extremists have built up a network across the country, he said, adding a comprehensive and coordinated step needs to be taken by the government to eliminate it.
Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to root out militancy and terrorism from the country.
“Militant outfits have not enough organizational capacity to carry out attacks in large scale. They are now afraid of the intensified intelligence vigilance,” he said.
The IGP said police also arrested many of them, but their activities are yet to be completely stopped, adding that four police personnel, including two officers, sacrificed their lives during the anti-militant campaign at Gulshan on July 1, 2016.
Meanwhile, police on Saturday got forensic report of five Holey Artisan militants Forensic examination report of different samples such as blood, hair and viscera of the five militants and a chef handed over to police on Saturday.
“We have formally handed over the forensic examination report to police around 1:15 pm on Saturday,” said Dr Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic medicine department at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
“The five militants and a chef, who were killed during the joint operation in the Holey Artisan Bakery, were hurt by bullets and splinters,” he said, adding, “We have found no presence of any energy stimulating tablets in the viscera of the militants.”
Samples of the six persons, which have been sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and an Indian agency for conducting forensic examination, have not yet been received, he informed.
The five militants and the chef of the Holey Artisan are: Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal — and the chef, Saiful Islam.
However, investigation into the case relating to July 1, 2016 militant attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan is nearing completion as involvement of 24 operatives of the neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has so far been found in the attack.
“We have so far found involvement of 24 neo-JMB operatives in the Holey Artisan attack as investigation into the case is now at the final stage. The charge sheet in the case will be submitted to the court soon,” Md Monirul Islam, Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CCTC), told the media.
Without specifying the number, the CCTC chief said the 24 operatives have so far been found involved in different crimes in the July killing at Holy Artisan restaurant like planning, imparting militancy training and execution while two of them assisted in carrying out the attack.
“Fifteen of the 24 militants have already been killed in encounters with the law enforcers, four of them are in jails, five others are on the run,” he said.
The eight killed in anti-militant operations are: Tamim Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Marjan, Major Zahidul Islam, Sarowar Jahan, Tanveer Quaderi, Md Abdullah alias Rony, Abu Rayhan alias Tareq and Faridul Islam Akash. Three of the four arrestees, Jahangir Alam alias Rajeeb Gandhi, Raqibul Hassan alias Rigan and Mizanur Rahman alias senior Mizan gave confessional statement before the court under Section 164, he said.
Asked about the update of the investigation into the Holy Artisan attack, Md Asaduzzaman Mia, Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said everything from planning to execution of the Holey Artisan attack became clear after a thorough investigation into the matter.
“The charge sheet in the case will be submitted by year-end as the investigation is now at the final stage,” he said, adding that law enforcers are in an intense pursuit of capturing five more militants involved in the attack who are now on the run.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Saturday expressed Bangladesh’s gratitude to individuals, foreign countries and governments for standing beside Bangladesh during its ‘difficult one year’ since the July 1 Gulshan Café attack.
“We’re grateful to the people and governments who stood by Bangladesh during a difficult last one year,” he said.
The State Minister specially mentioned countries like Italy, Japan, India, the United States and Japan for standing beside Bangladesh.
He said the government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been able to combat militancy to a large extent with support from all. “We’ve more to do.”
“We remember those who lost their lives in Holey Artisan Bakery with deep respect and convey deep sympathy to their families and governments of their countries,” the state minister said in a post on his official Facebook page.
He thanked law enforcement agencies for their efforts and remembered those who sacrificed their lives during anti-militant drives in the country.
The State Minister also tweeted remembering the victims of Holey Artisan Bakery who were killed in the deadliest terrorist attack in Bangladesh.
