The prosecution has expressed satisfaction over Holey Artisan attack verdict sentencing seven of the eight accused to death.
“This is an exemplary verdict and now no one will dare to carry out such attacks in Bangladesh again,” Dhaka Special Public Prosecutor (PP) Md Abdullah Abu told the media on Wednesday (Nov 27).
While commenting over the acquitted person Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan, Abdulla Abu said, “We may appeal over it after assessing the verdict copy.”
Three-and-half years ago in 2016, the Holey Artisan Bakery and Café was stormed by five young men who held the people hostage and killed 22 people.
Five attackers – Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasser, Khairul Islam and Shafiqul Islam – were all killed in the Operation Thunderbolt that the Para Commando Battalion launched at the bakery on the morning of July 2.
Middle East-based terror group Islamic State 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.
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.
In addition to the five killed in the commando operation, eight others were killed in separate terror raids.
The trial began on November 26, 2018, after charges were framed against the eight militants.
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