The court is set to pronounce the verdict in the militant attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan that shocked the world three and a half years ago.
Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal will deliver the verdict on Wednesday (Nov 27) over the attack that left 22 people dead, including foreigners and police officers.
The prosecution has sought maximum punishment for the eight living suspects while the defence counsel is confident of an acquittal saying that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has beefed up security around the court premised in old Dhaka ahead of the verdict.
On Tuesday (Nov 26), top DMP officials including its Additional Commissioners Krishna Pada Roy and Mir Rezaul Karim visited the court premises to inspect the security arrangement.
On Nov 17, special tribunal Judge Md Mujibur Rahman fixed Nov 27 to deliver its verdict in the case after concluding the trial following arguments by the defence and the closing statement by the prosecution.
On the night of Jul 1, 2016, a group of five young gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant at the upscale neighbourhood of Gulshan and taking the people inside them hostage.
Two police officers died after being injured in grenade attacks carried out by the attackers when they approached the eatery.
The militants killed 20 hostages, 17 foreigners and three Bangladeshis throughout the night.
After a 12-hour siege, army commandoes stormed the restaurant on Jul 2 morning and rescued 13 hostages.
The five Neo-JMB operatives Nibras Islam, Mir Sabeh Mubashir, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal—-were killed in the commando operation.
Middle East-based terror group Islamic State had reportedly claimed credit for the attack but the government and security officials have blamed Neo-JMB, an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh for the deadly siege.
The attack served as a wake-up call for militancy in the country and forced a significant change in Bangladesh.
Two years after the attack, on Jul 23, 2018, Dhaka metro police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit identified 21 suspects connected to the attack and submitted charges against the eight living suspects.
Eight others including the mastermind Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, café attack coordinator Nurul Islam Marzan, a top operative of mainstream JMB, financier Sarwar Jahan, trainer Major (retd) Jahidul Islam, software engineer Basharuzzaman Chocolate, top JMB operative Abu Raihan Tari; banker and financier Tanvir Kader; and grenade supplier Mizanur Rahman alias Chhoto Mizan, were killed during various security force operations and were recommended to be dropped from the case.
According to the charge sheet, neo-JMB militants had planned the attack for six months. Their intention was to create ‘unrest’ in Bangladesh and transform it into a ‘terrorist state’.
The trial began on Nov 26 last year with the indictment of the eight suspects.
The suspects, Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Rashedul Islam alias Rash, Sohel Mahfuz, Mizanur Rahman alias Baro Mizan, Hadisur Rahman Sagar, Shahidul Islam Khalid and Mamunur Rashid Ripon are in police custody.