Bangladesh arrests Islamist extremist over deadly 2016 cafe attack
- Police said Mamunur Rashid supplied money, weapons, ammunition and explosives for the attack and hostage taking at a popular tourist spot
Bangladesh has arrested a suspected Islamist extremist who supplied weapons and explosives for a 2016 siege that killed 22 hostages, a top police official said on Sunday.
Eighteen foreigners were among those shot and hacked to death in the 10-hour stand-off at the Holey Artisan Bakery, an upmarket cafe in Dhaka, before military commandos stormed the building and freed some two dozen other people.
Mamunur Rashid was a key “decision-maker” in Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned home-grown Islamist militant outfit blamed for the attack.
The 30-year-old was arrested while travelling on a bus outside the capital Dhaka, said Mufti Mahmud Khan, a spokesman for Rapid Action Battalion.
Rashid “supplied money, arms, ammunition and explosives for the attack”, Khan told reporters.
“He hid in a neighbouring country and tried to reorganise the group. They were also planning to rescue their accomplices from custody.”