'Salafist uncles motivated Foyzur'

Inspired by his uncles to adopt salafism a Saudi-based extreme Islamic ideology), Foyzur carried out the attack on SUST (Shahjalal University of Science and Technology) professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, said Foyzur’s neighbours and relatives.

Salafists are known as ‘la mazhabi’ (anti mazhab) in some places of the country.

Foyzur passed the Dakhil exam (equivalent to the secondary school certificate) from the Dhal Dhakil madrasa of Derai upazila in 2014.

Local people in Koliyar Kapon village knew him as a Salafist. Foyzur even argued with the local villagers about their style of prayer as opposed to that of the salafists.

“Villagers were not very close to Foyzur and his family,” said the Jagdal Union AL chairman, Mizanur Rahman.

Mizanur Rahman said, Foyzur’s two uncles, living in Kuwait, did not follow the conventional way of praying. Being motivated by them, Foyzur also started to pray in the ‘la mazhabi’ way. The villagers forbade him to influence others to adopt salafism.

Foyzur’s two uncles Abdul Jaher and Abdul Sadik live in Kuwait while two other uncles Abdul Kaher and Abdul Baten live in the village.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained Abdul Kaher on Sunday morning.

Kaher has been interrogated in custody, said RAB official Faisal Ahmed.

According to the villagers, Foyzur’s family shifted from Derai to Sylhet town 15 years ago. But he visits the village sometimes and sells lungis and gamchhas (cotton scarf-like towels).

Foyzur visited the village three months ago for the last time, said his neighbours.

“He usually doesn’t mix much with people,” a villager, Mojahed Ali told Prothom Alo.

Foyzur’s father Atiqur Rahman is a teacher of a madrasa in Sylhet. Foyzur, the youngest of his two brothers and two sisters, lives with his family in Sylhet.

Police raided Foyzur's house at the village on Saturday night but it was locked.

“We did not get to know much about Foyzur from the villagers," said a police officer.

"We have talked to the local people. They said, only Foyzur in the family followed salafism. That is why family members were not happy with him," said the additional police super, Mohammad Habibullah.