Tahmid didn't cooperate in probe

Tahmid Hasib Khan, a Gulshan café attack survivor, was allowed to return to his family as the siege ended the next day, according to a police petition submitted to a Dhaka court. 

He had promised to come back to the officials of DMP's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit and give written statement about his experience of the incident.

But he did not communicate with them even though he was sent two notices, added the petition, submitted to the general recording section of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka on September 28.

It read that police probe did not find Tahmid's links to the terrorist attack. However, the investigation officer (IO) of the Gulshan attack case appealed to the court to start proceedings against Tahmid for hiding information and not cooperating with the investigators.

According to a provision under Section 176 of the Penal Code, anyone shall face maximum one month's jail term or Tk 500 fine, or both, for hiding information to government official.

In the petition, the IO said they brought charges against Tahmid of violating the provision.

Police also prayed for relieving Tahmid of the accusation that he was involved in the terror attack. 

On Sunday, the court granted bail to Tahmid and fixed Wednesday for hearing on the police prayer. He was released at night.

It was widely reported earlier that Tahmid, a Canadian university student, and Hasnat Karim, a former private university teacher in Bangladesh, were taken in by detectives for interrogation immediately after the 11-hour bloody siege ended on July 2.

Police then kept claiming they had released Hasnat and Tahmid after questioning, but their families insisted that the two never returned home and could not be reached by any means.

Over a month later, police came up with a claim that the two were arrested on August 3 under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Section 54 says police can arrest any person on suspicion without any warrant.

Law enforcers told the media about the arrests the next day, August 4, when the two were produced before a court for the first time.  

Monirul Islam, chief of CTTC, at a briefing yesterday said police needed Tahmid's cooperation to verify some information. He was sent notices more than once but he didn't show up.

The official added Tahmid was arrested under Section 54 for withholding information and not cooperating with the police in investigating the July 1 Gulshan attack.

“It seemed to us that Tahmid was not involved in the Gulshan café attack,” Monirul told the briefing at the DMP Media Centre.

If the investigation comes across any evidence or witness statement proving his involvement in the crime, police will arrest him and he will be named as an accused in the case, he added.

On August 4, police produced Tahmid and Hasnat before a Dhaka court and sought 10 days' remand for each, but the court granted eight days'.

After the remand ended, police produced Hasnat before the court as an accused in the case on August 13.

Though Hasnat was shown arrested in the case that day, Tahmid was kept detained under Section 54.

After their eight days' remand ended, the duo was put on a fresh remand on August 13 as police claimed to have gleaned vital information during the previous remand.

This time, the court placed Tahmid on a six-day remand against a police prayer for seven days' while Hasnat was placed on an eight-day remand.

While Tahmid and Hasnat were on the first-round remand, some media outlets published several photos of the two with one of the Gulshan attackers, apparently Rohan Imtiaz.  

Rohan and four other militants were killed in the commando operation, launched on the morning of July 2 to end the siege.

In the photographs, “collected from unknown sources”, the trio was seen on the rooftop of the bakery. Tahmid was seen holding a small firearm.

Asked about those pictures, Monirul said, “Investigation works on the basis of evidence and witness accounts. We analysed and are still analysing the information we have. There is no room for speculation.”

Tahmid, according to the IO, witnessed the crimes committed by the militants at the cafe.

He is traumatised and now undergoing treatment at a hospital. However, he is speaking normally and he was not tortured under detention by the cops, said his close relatives.

“We knew that he would be released sooner or later as he was not the kind of boy to be involved in unlawful activities,” said a family friend wishing anonymity.

On July 1, five militants stormed the bakery and held diners hostage at gunpoint. They murdered 20 hostages -- nine Italian, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, one Indian and one Bangladesh-born US citizen -- and two police officers who tried to end the standoff soon after it began around 8:40pm.

HASNAT'S LINK?  

Police are yet to be sure about the involvement of Hasnat Karim in the Dhaka attack.

“Hasnat was sent to TFI [Task Force for Interrogation] cell. We are yet to get the report of the interrogation” said Monirul.

After getting the report and verifying it with what the counterterrorism unit officials extracted from him during previous remands, police will be able to reach a conclusion, he added.

HUNT FOR KEY SUSPECTS

“We are looking for Nurul Islam Marzan, Zahangir alias Rajib, and Basharuzzaman who is known in militant circles as Chocolate,” Monirul said.

“They are some of the key persons. If they are arrested, we would be able to completely solve the mystery behind the Gulshan attack.”

Rajib's three recruits were involved in the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks. His involvement was found in 23-24 incidents of militancy including targeted attacks and robbery. 

The funds for organising the attack came through India from a country, which is one of the key hubs of global money laundering. The money came in two phases and was received by Basharuzzaman.