In denial mode: Dhaka points to homegrown militants for hostage bloodbath

Home minister rules out IS links; authorities question suspect caught alive

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday said the attackers who slaughtered 20 hostages at a Dhaka restaurant were well-educated followers of a homegrown militant outfit who found extremism ‘fashionable’, denying that they had links to the Islamic State group.

As the country flew flags at half-mast and held prayers services and candle-lit vigils to mourn the victims, details emerged of how the attackers, five of whom authorities had tried to arrest previously, spared the lives of Muslims while herding foreigners to their deaths.

Although IS claimed responsibility for the attack, the government stuck to its line that international militant networks had not gained a foothold in Bangladesh.



Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the killers were members of the homegrown Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh (JMB) militant  group which claims to represent IS in Bangladesh. “They have no connections with IS,” Khan said.

National police chief Shahidul Hoque said investigators would explore the possibility of ‘an international link’ but added that “primarily, we suspect they are JMB members.” He further said that five of the militants were known to law enforcers who had tried to arrest them on past occasions.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Shahidur Rahman said authorities were investigating any connection between the attackers and transnational groups.

Six of the gunmen were killed by the commandos in the final stages of the siege, but one was taken alive and was being interrogated by Bangladeshi intelligence. Khan though said he was only a suspect, adding that.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2016.