Bangladeshi security forces claimed to have killed the Dhaka café attack mastermind along with three other Islamist militants on Saturday. This operation was carried out by raiding their hideout in Naraynganj, outskirts of Dhaka.
Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the alleged mastermind of the attack on the cafe, was killed in the attack as confirmed by Moniru Islam, head of police counter-terrorism in a statement to Reuters.
Tamim Chowdhury had returned to Bangladesh from Canada three years ago and had been financing the illicit activities of radical groups and financed efforts to radicalise young Muslims.
The Dhaka attack was one of the worst attacks witnessed by Bangladesh in years, as on July 1 five gun wielding assailants stormed an upscale cafe in the country’s capital killing 20 hostages, including 18 foreigners.
The siege was by far the deadliest in a string of attacks claimed by Islamist groups which have blighted Bangladesh over the last three years. The Islamic State organisation claimed responsibility and the gunmen were pictured posing with IS flags in images posted on a website affiliated to the group.
Online radicalization is one of the emerging issues in the country as most of the youths belonged to well-off families and were radicalised on the web space. India based televangelist and controversial Islamic preacher, Zakir Naik’s name also surfaced in the issue as one of the attackers claimed to have been inspired by his sermons on Peace TV.
