Bhagne Russell confesses, implicates BNP leader's brother

Another suspect yesterday confessed to a magistrate that he along with two other men killed Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella on September 28.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan recorded the confession of Minhazul Arifin Russell alias Bhagne Russell for three hours and sent him to Dhaka Central Jail.

His two cohorts were Tamjid Ahmed alias Rubel alias Shooter Rubel and Russell Chowdhury alias Chakki Russell.

Bhagne Russell also said MA Matin, brother of former BNP war councillor at Badda Md Qaiyum, asked him to meet Chakki and he met him accordingly, according to court sources.

Later the two along with Rubel killed Tavella, the sources added.

Inspector Zehad Hossain, investigation officer (IO) of the case, produced Bhagne Russell after passing of five days of his eight-day remand.

On October 26, Shooter Rubel confessed that he shot four bullets at Tavella and that Chakki Russell and Bhagne Russell had gone to the spot with him on a motorcycle.

Shooter Rubel told the magistrate that their motive was to create panic in the country particularly in the diplomatic area.

Chakki Russell and one more suspect, Shakhawat Hossian alias Sharif, are on an eight-day remand. Detectives were interrogating them in custody.

Sharif gave the trio his motorcycle on which they arrived on the spot and fled after the shooting.

However, police on October 26 claimed that three professional killers had shot the Italian man dead as part of a conspiracy to put pressure on the government and send a message to foreigners that they were not safe in Bangladesh.

They were hired by a "Boro Bhai" (big brother) to kill any white man living in the country, and Tavella was not their specific target, police added.