One of the eight suspects currently behind bars for the 2016 Gulshan café attack has pleaded not guilty while presenting his statement at the court.

Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan read his statement in front of Judge Mojibur Rahman of the anti-terrorism special tribunal on Wednesday (Oct 30).

Mizan and another suspect Jahangir gave their verbal statements that day after which the court fixed Nov 6 to start hearing the prosecution’s argument.

Claiming that he was innocent, Mizan said that he is a fish trader from Bogura and was not the suspected militant named in the case.

“I’ve only been arrested because of my name. I also informed the DB [Detective Branch] in Bogura,” he said.

He added that despite that he was interrogated for 16 days. “I haven’t done anything. I was a fish trader.”

The suspect claimed that he was handed over to the investigating officer Humayun Kabir who sought days to grill him in custody.

“The court granted a seven-day remand,” he said before adding that he was tortured and pressured into confessing under section 164.

“Humayun told me he won’t let me go if I don’t confess. They taught me what to say in the confessional statement under section 164 and made me confess in the court,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jahangir admitted to being a member of the Middle East-based radical group Islamic State.

He also admitted to being involved in the 2015 murder of Japanese national Hishoti in Rangpur and Hossain Ali, a convert in Kurigram.

Jahangir said that he joined militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in 2002 and then the IS through its leaders Tamim Chowdhury and Sarwar Jahan in 2014 when the “Khilafat was declared in Syria”.

He claimed to be aware of the attack Tamim was planning in 2016, but every member of the group other than Tamim himself, Sarwar and Nurul Islam Marzan were unaware of the target.

Tamim, Sarwar and Marzan are among the 13 killed in different anti-terrorism raids.