Bigger tragedy averted

The IS-inspired “Neo JMB” reserved a brigade at Kalyanpur den in a bid to carry out three simultaneous follow-up attacks, after they had successfully carried out the Gulshan café attack, investigators said yesterday. 

A successful crackdown, codenamed 'Operation Storm 26' at the “Jahaz building” in Kalyanpur on this day in 2016 deterred the militants from the attacks. Documents and information in the den subsequently helped law enforcers fight back against the country's rising terror network.

At least 15 persons, apart from the nine killed in the hideout, were involved in plotting the attacks -- two in the capital's Dhanmondi and Mirpur while another in Narayanganj.

“The militants even completed all groundwork and were scheduled to carry out the attack within a week,” high officials of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, told The Daily Star.

The officials, requesting anonymity, further said the militants also rented a house in Narayanganj while another militant was trying to rent a house in Mirpur. Counterterrorism officials revealed the information yesterday, as the investigation of the incident comes to its final stages.

“We are very close to completing our investigation and hope to submit the charge sheet soon, as all the necessary reports and evidence are in our hand,” Mohibul Islam Khan, deputy commissioner of CTTC unit, told The Daily Star yesterday. Of the 15 militants involved in the attack plots, eight were also named in the charge sheet of the Holey Artisan café attack, that left 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, and two police official killed on July 1, 2016.

Two of them — the café attack coordinator Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and fund supplier Sarwar Jahan Manik -- were killed in anti-militancy operations at Narayanganj and Ashulia.

Eight were arrested in different raids. They are -- Rakibul Hasan Reagan, a religious trainer; Salahuddin Kamran, a close aide to chief Neo JMB coordinator Tamim; engineer Abdur Rauf Prodhan, a senior organiser of the outfit; its spiritual leader Abul Kashem alias Boro Huzur; Ahmed Azwad Imtiaz Talukder alias Omi, a young organiser; Sohel Mahfuz, a top leader and bomb supplier; Aslam Hossain Rashed alias Rash and Hadisur Rahman Sagor, a top leader.

Police captured Reagan as he jumped off the building during the Kalyanpur raid.  Another militant named Iqbal, who managed to flee, is still on the run.

Reagan, Kamran, Rauf and Rash gave confessional statements before courts.

The five others are still on the run, and police suspected at least two of them -- Badal and Kabiraj -- might have been killed in different raids and still remain beyond identification. Three others -- Ripon, Khalid and Junaid Khan -- are believed to have left the country.  

Besides, four others who were arrested in Bagerhat were shown arrested in the Kalyanpur case, but police are yet to ascertain their involvement in the incident. The four are Akash, Habibullah, Kabirul and Mizanur.  

Eight of the nine dead in Kalyanpur were later identified as Abdullah, Abu Hakim Nayeem, Taj-ul-Haque Rashiq, Atiquzzaman Khan and Shazad Rouf Arko, Motiar Rahman, Jubayer Hossain and Raihan Kabir alias Tareq. One still remains unidentified.

After the Kalyanpur drive, police filed a case with Mirpur Model Police Station under Anti-Terrorism Act accusing Reagan, Iqbal, Tamim, Ripon, Khalid, Mamun, Manik, Junaid Khan, Badal, Azadul alias Kabiraj. The accused frequented the Kalyanpur hideout and supplied explosives, firearms and ammunition to militants. They also advised and trained the radicals, according to the case statement. 

At least 80 militant suspects were killed in 30 anti-militancy operations after the successful raid in Kalyanpur, police said.