‘8 took part in Avijit murder’

A total of eight people took part in the killing mission of writer and blogger Avijit Roy in 2015, Abu Siddiqui Sohel alias Sakib, who was arrested last night over the murder, said in his confessional statement today.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ahsan Habib recorded his confessional statement for over three hours at his chamber.

In his confessional statement, Sohel told the magistrate that a total of eight people took part in the killing operation and four of them murdered Avijit while others assisted the overall operation, court sources said.

Sohel, however, said he was not directly involved in the act of killing.

Lawmen arrested him from Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area last night, Muhammad Yousuf Ali, additional deputy commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told The Daily Star.

Sohel, hailing from Lalmonirhat, has been an active member of the intelligence wing of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) since 2014.

A team of the specialised unit of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime arrested Sohel from Iqbal Road around 8:00pm, said a press release of the DMP.

During primary interrogation, Sohel is said to have admitted his part in the slaying of Avijit under orders from sacked army officer Maj Zia, according to police.

Suspected militants hacked to death Avijit, founder of Mukto-Mona blog, at Dhaka University campus on February 26, 2015. His wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya was also injured in the attack.

The Bangladesh-born US citizen had come home with his wife only a few days ago as his two books were published during the Ekushey Book Fair that year.