Four months in preparation for the Holey Artisan attack

Exactly one year ago, the militant attack on Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery stunned the entire country.

Five young men armed with guns and knives stormed the cafe on 1 July, taking dozens hostage and killing 22. Most of the victims were foreigners, and many were brutally hacked to death.

The militants took four long months in preparation before the deadly attack. But they selected Holey Artisan Bakery as their target around two weeks before the attack. And the gunmen who conducted the attack came to know the Holey Artisan Bakery as their target just three or four days before the attack.

According to Prothom Alo investigations, the militant outfit, popular known as Neo-JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh), planned in February to carry out a massive attack on foreigners in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone.

The shura committee of the militant outfit that follows IS ideology took this decision in Saghata of Gaibandha, some 235 kilometres from Dhaka city.

A year since the attack, law enforcement agencies have conducted a number of drives, killing a total of eight people who were allegedly involved in the attack, and arresting three more. Five militants are yet to be captured.

There were three objectives behind the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, said an investigation official: 1. Attacking the diplomatic area; 2. Killing foreign nationals; and 3. Getting local and international media coverage.

The assailants in the attack had no intention of fleeing from the scene. They were suicide attackers. The following report has been prepared based on three militants’ depositions recorded in court. The three are Jahangir Alam alias Rajiv Gandhi, Rakibul Hassan alias Regan, and Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan.

Planning

Neo JMB came into the limelight since September 2015 with the killing of foreign nationals, Christians, Hindu priests, as well as the attack on Shia and Ahmadiya mosques. In continuation of this, the militants planned a big attack in the capital city. Towards the end of February last year, they held a shura committee meeting in a house at the college intersection of Bonarpara Bazar in Saghata upazila, Gaibandha.

At the meeting, the Bangladeshi-origin Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the main organiser of Neo JMB, brought up the idea of an attack in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone. He said that attack would have to be on foreigners. It would have to be in the style of jihadis in different countries. The others questioned the feasibility of such an attack. Eventually the shura committee approved of this proposal.

Also present at that meeting were shura members Sarwar Jahan alias Manik, Major (retd) Zahidul Islam, Nurul Islam alias Marzan, Jahangir Alam alias Rajiv Gandhi, Shafiul Islam Khaled, Mamunur Rashid alias Ripon, Abu Raihan alias Tarek, and others.

Tamim Chowdhury was selected as the chief coordinator of the attack. Nurul Islam alias Marzan would be the co-coordinator. Marzan was Tamim’s right hand man. Software engineer Basharuzzaman alias Chocolate was in charge of logistics.

Selecting isaba or attackers

After the approval of the Shura committee, Neo JMB’s military commander Shariful Islam alias Khaled was given the responsibility to select five isaba (warriors or attackers). Dhaka boys were to be selected, those who were familiar with the ins and outs of Gulshan.

The Dhaka military commander of Neo JMB at the time was Abu Raihan alias Tarik (who were later killed during police raid on a hideout in Kalyanpur). The North Bengal commander was Jahangir Alam alias Rajiv Gandhi (now in jail). Khaled instructed them to selected isaba who would be suicidal.

Tarik came up with three names. They were Rohan Imtiaz, Nibras Islam and Sameh Mobasser. All these of them lived in Dhaka, had English medium schooling and came from upper class families. Rajiv Gandhi proposed the names of Shafiqul Islam alias Ujjal alias Bikash and Khairul Islam Payel alias Bandhon. These two were from Bogra. One was a college student and the other studied at a madrassa. Both were from poor families.

Rajiv Gandhi has also provided Shariful Islam alias Don who was arrested in an injured state after staging the attack on the Sholakia Eid prayer grounds last year. Shariful’s home was in Ghoraghat, Dinajpur. He was later killed in a RAB shootout.

These six, and quite a few other young men, had left home in January last year in the name of hijrat. They had planned to go to Syria. Towards the beginning of February, Nibras, Rohan and Sameh Mobasher, and a few others including Abir who was killed while attacking the Sholakia Eidgah, came to stay at a house rented by militants in Jhenidah. Marzan’s brother-in-law Hadisur Rahman alias Sagar took them there. It was Sagar, a leader of Neo JMB, who rented the house. And others, including two directly involved in the Gulshan attack, were staying at various militant dens in Bogra, Gaibandha and Pabna.

Training

Once they left home, these boys were kept at various militant dens and given theoretical lessons in militancy and also used for various killings. The five who were involved in the Gulshan attack, at that time were used to commit several killings including those of Hindu priests, converted Christians, Shias and others in Jhenidah, Tangail and various districts of North Bengal. They were made accustomed to killing. It was explained to them that they needn’t go to Syria for jihad, they was much to be done in the home country too.

In the beginning of May, the so-called military commander Khaled sent the five selected for the Gulshan attack to Marzan. Marzan took them of Fulchhuri Char in Saghata upazila, Gaibandha. They underwent 28 days of training there. Major (retd) Zahidul Islam was the head trainer. He taught them house to use AK-22 rifles and pistols. Tarek imparted training in bombs.

In his confessional statement, Rajiv Gandhi said that he, Tamim Chowdhury, Sarwar Jahan alias Manik, Marzan, Rakibul Hasan alias Regan, Khaled and Ripon would visit the camp at various times. They provided organisational training.

Tamim, Major Zahid, Tarik and Sarwar were later killed during various RAB and police operations. Regan was arrested from the Kalyanpur hideout. Rajiv Gandhi was later arrested too. Basharuzzaman, Khaled and Ripon are still at large.

Procuring weapons and bombs

Neo JMB’s Rashed alias Race (the police do not have details on him as yet) and Sagar were in charge of procuring weapons and explosives for the attack. Rashed brought in four pistols through the Chapainawabganj border in May. He gave these to Chhoto Mizan (of Chapainawabganj). He brought these weapons in baskets of mangoes to Dhaka and handed them over to Basharuzzaman. Basharuzzaman gave them to Marzan.

Sagar and Chhoto Mizan had brought five AK-22 rifles over the same border in this manner. The rifles had been brought earlier and were used for training. Boro Mizan helped in bringing these weapons from India. He is now in jail.

Sagar brought the bombs used in the attack. The bombs, already assembled, were brought over the Chougachha border in Jessore in May. These were later sent to Marzan in Dhaka. According to law enforcement officers, Sohail Mahfuz alias Nasrullah, who had crossed over from the original JMB to Neo JMB, was also involved in making bombs. Sohail Mahfuz hasn’t been arrested as yet.

Fund procurement

In a confessional statement in court, a militant arrested in the Gulshan attack case said that on 28 June last year, Tamim had brought in money from abroad through hundi, the illegal money transfer system. Basharuzzaman collected 98 lakh taka (9.8 million taka) from the hundi dealers and handed this over to Tamim.

Head of the police’s Counter Terrorism and Trans-National Crime Unit Monirul Islam said, “From the weapons and explosives they used, as well as other items like T-shirts, sneakers, backpacks, we assessed that this was low-cost terrorism. Not more than eight or nine lakh taka (800 thousand or 900 thousand taka) was used in this operation.” He said, some fairly well-to-do persons were involved in this operation. Tanvir Quaderi worked in a private bank and his wife worked for a foreign NGO. Before leaving home, they sold their apartment and car. They didn’t have to really look outside for money. The attack expenses came from a common fund. All expenses were taken from the common fund. So it is difficult to say how much money was used for separate purposes.

Renting houses in Dhaka and Narayanganj

Basharuzzaman was given the responsibility in mid-May to rent a house in Basundhara, near Dhaka’s diplomatic zone. Along with Tanvir Quaderi, another important Neo JMB leader, he rented a five-room apartment on Road 6, Block E, Basundhara residential area. They bought a fridge and furniture for the house. Tanvir, who had left his job with a bank, was later killed in a police drive.

Around the same time, on 9 June, a house was rented in Sheorapara. The militants used this as their ‘control room’. Tamim and Marzan took position there before the attack. Two other houses were rented too, one in Rupnagar, Pallabi and the other in Paikpara, Narayanganj.

Five attackers in the Dhaka den

On 9 June Tanvir and his family moved into the Basundhara apartment. Basharuzzaman had moved in on 7 June. On 8 June Marzan and his wife moved in there with the five attackers. Tamim Chowdhury came on 11 June. Holey Artisan still hadn’t been selected as the target. A few days later Marzan brought a few backpacks in which there were pistols, AK-22 rifles, knives and bombs.

They all remained at this house till 1 July. Tamim would sit in zikr (prayer chanting) with the five the whole day in one of the big rooms. They would hardly leave this room. They would pray and eat in this room. Tanvir, Marzan, Basharuzzaman, Rajiv Gandhi, their wives and children would live in the other rooms.

Selecting Holey Artisan

The aim of the militants was to attack any target in the Gulshan-Banani area. It was decided to select a place where many foreigners gathered at one time and where there were no cc cameras. The militants thus began a reconnaissance of the hotels and restaurants in Gulshan in mid-June to determine their target.

At one point the militants selected Holey Artisan. They ascertained that a large number of foreigners would frequent Holey Artisan. It was even more crowded on Fridays. There were hardly any security measures there. The CC camera there displayed comings and goings, but did not record. Behind Holey Artisan was the lake. After the attack, the law enforcement agencies would only have to be confronted from the front. Taking all this into consideration, the militants selected Holey Artisan as the most suitable target. Three or four days before the incident, the group of attackers were informed that their target was Holey Artisan.

Nibras, Rohan and Mobasher knew this restaurant from beforehand. Upon instructions from Tamim, Marzan took Rohan and Nibras to survey Holey Artisan after evening fell on 27 June. Basharuzzaman, Khairul and Shafiqul carried out their recon the next day in the evening. They returned around 10 in the night to the house at Basundhara and discussed the matter with the others. On 29 June, Tamim, Rohan and Mobasher conducted a recon of Holey Artisan. They returned at 11. Then Tamim sat with the group of attackers. Rohan Imtiaz was given charge to lead the attack.

Setting out for the attack

According to Rajiv Gandhi’s deposition, Sarwar Jahan came to the Basundhara house on 30 June and held a meeting with all of them. He said that the attack on Holey Artisan would be carried out the next day, 1 July. In the afternoon he led them in pray. After that he addressed the five. He said, “During the attack on Holey Artisan you must not break down. When one of you finishes your bullets, another will back up. Remember, we have nothing to lose. There is no need for hurry during the operation. Do the work with attention. Show no mercy towards the non-believers, even if they are journalists. Always be in zikr, chanting the prayers. If you are caught, kill yourself.” Sarwar then left. Tamim sent Basharuzzaman to buy five T shirts and five pairs of jeans for the attackers.

The next day, at 10 in the morning of 1 July, Basharuzzaman came to the Basundhara house and gave the attackers their backpacks, each carrying an AK-22, a pistol and a large knife as well as plenty of ammunition. Four handmade grenades were placed in two bags, of Nibras and another. They then said the Friday jumma prayers. At three in the afternoon Tamim decided that Rajiv Gandhi would take his wife and children to the new house at Rupnagar. After the Asr prayer, Rohan, Nibras and Mobasher would leave with their backpacks. The other two, Shafiqul and Khairul, would leave an hour later. In keeping with the directives, the attackers, divided into two groups, took a rickshaw part of the way and walked for some way to the spot.

Basharuzzaman came up in a CNG auto-rickshaw. Tamim and Marzan got in and went off in it to the house at Sheorapara. As they left, they told the others to take their iftar along with them and leave the place soon. Tanvir Quaderi and Basharuzzaman went to the house at Rupnagar, Pallabi, with their families. Major Zahid and his family were already there.

At the house in Sheorapara, Tamim and Marzan waited for the news over the Threema app. After completing the massacre, the militants used the hostages’ phones to send Tamim the message through the app. The attackers hadn’t taken any phone of their own with them.

After evening fell on 1 July, the militants attacked Holey Artisan. They held everyone inside hostage. Then they shot and hacked to death 20 persons, local and foreigners. Two police officers were killed in bomb blasts during the operation. At 1:30 in the night, IS’ so-called news agency Amaq, in a tweeted message said that IS claimed that they had killed 22persons in an attack on a cafe in Dhaka.

A day after the attack, Tamim left the Sheorapara house and went to the rented house at Paikpara in Narayanganj. Tausif accompanied him. Tausif was Neo JMB’s head of media. Marzan went to the Rupnagar house.

The Syria-Iraq-based IS claimed responsibility for the attack and hostage crisis while it was going on. At the same time, Bangladesh was globally identified as a hub of militancy. The Bangladesh government yet again rejected claims of IS involvement in the incident.

Head of the counter terrorism unit Monirul Islam said that such brutality of the Holey Artisan incident hadn’t been displayed before. So many foreigners hadn’t been killed ever before in the country. He said, those directly involved in the incident or who had gone to the site, had all been killed. Eight persons who have been involved in the planning and coordination of the incident and in other ways, had all been killed over the past one year. The three arrested militants admitted their involvement while giving their depositions in court. The search is on for five others involved in the incident.

*This piece originally came up in Prothom Alo Bangla is rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir and Imam Hossain.