Bangladesh to hang 7 terrorists for 2016 bakery attack

NEW DELHI: An anti-terrorism tribunal in Dhaka has ruled that seven terrorists will be hanged for the killings of 22 people including Indians in the worst terror attack Bangladesh suffered in a posh area in its capital in 2016.

The victims included 17 foreigners. Judge Md Majibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Dhaka ordered the deaths by hanging.

"These people wanted to wreak havoc in the society and wanted to establish a Jihadist state. As their activities threatened public safety, they will be executed by hanging until they are pronounced dead," Judge Rahman pronounced.


The seven convicts are Hadisur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Aslam Hossain Rash, Md Abdus Sabur Khan, Shariful Islam Khaled, Mamunur Rashid Ripon and Jahangir Hossain.

Another accused, Mizanur Rahman, was acquitted as allegations brought against him could not be proved.

In July last year, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted a charge-sheet against eight suspects from the banned armed group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Golam Sharuar Khan Zakir, the public prosecutor, welcomed the verdict. "We sought death penalty for them as they were intricately involved with the terrorist attack even though they didn't physically take part in it."

Another public prosecutor, Abdullah Abu, told reporters that they were satisfied with the judgement but he expressed concern at the acquittal of one of the accused.

Inspector General of Police Mohammad Javed Patwary said that an appeal will be filed against the acquittal of Mizanur Rahman.

PM Sheikh Hasina has repeatedly asserted including during her recent visit to Delhi that she has a zero tolerance policy against terrorism. It also banned broadcast of Zakir Naik’s programs after 2016 attack.