Dhaka café attack mastermind Nurul Islam Marzan gunned down in encounter

Dhaka: In a big success against terrorism in Bangladesh, Nurul Islam alias Marzan, one of the masterminds of last year’s deadly siege at a Bangladeshi cafe, was killed in a gun-fight early on Friday.

Marjan, leader of Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, and another unidentified extremist were killed by Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit in Mohammadpur Beribadh area of Dhaka.

The police said, acting on a tip-off, they raided a house in the are at around 3 am. Sensing their presence, the terrorists opened fire at them, leading a to gunfight that left Marjan and his accomplice injured.

They were declared dead on arrival at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Former Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Marjan, who was aged around 30 years, was the youngest military commander of the Neo-JMB, a new faction of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) affiliated with Islamic State, Dhaka Tribune reported.

He also had connections with a number of top leaders of the outfit. Marjan had expertise in operating heavy arms.

Marjan had stayed in the militant den of Gobindaganj in Gaibandha for a long period where he reportedly gave motivational training to seven militants. Of the seven, five took part in the Gulshan terror attack.

On July 1, militants stormed Holey Artisan Bakery. The attackers took diners and restaurant staff hostage and had confrontations with police, killing two police officials.

Next morning, a joint commando force stormed the bakery, killing all the attackers and rescuing the captives, ending the terror siege of nearly 11 hours.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the cafe attack, posting images of the carnage as it happened and photos of the gunmen who had posed with the IS’s black flag.

But Bangladesh police rejected the claim, instead blaming a new offshoot of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a homegrown militant outfit founded in 1998, for the attack.

Bangladesh authorities have accused the same group of being behind a wave of killings of religious minorities, foreigners and rights activists.

With agency inputs