Gulshan attack planner Hatkata Mahfuz arrested

by Arifur Rahman Rabbi in Dhaka Tribune, July 08, 2017
Police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has arrested Sohel Mahfuz, one of the planners of the deadly Gulshan terrorist attack, and his three accomplices from Chapainawabganj.
Sohel, who also goes by Hatkata Mahfuz, is the top explosives specialist of New Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (New JMB) and a key arms and explosives supplier for the banned outfit.
The other detainees are Jewel alias Ismail, Hafizur Rahman alias Hasan and Mostofa Kamal alias Jamal. They were arrested from an orchard in Kansat under Shibganj upazila.
“A CTTC team arrested them from on Friday night acting on a tip-off,” counter-terrorism unit’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune on Saturday morning.
A senior CTTC official said Sohel is Nasirullah alias Sahadat Sheikh alias Sohail who is wanted in India in the infamous Khagragarh blast case.
The Indian National Investigation Agency put a Rs10 lakh bounty on him.
CTTC officials said they would brief the media later.
Bangladesh witnessed the deadliest terror attack in its history on July 1 last year when armed militants barged into an upscale eatery in Dhaka’s diplomatic hub and killed 22 people, including 17 foreigners and two policemen.
Investigators say Mahfuz supplied explosives used in the attack.
Mahfuz is also believed to be one of the founding members of the old JMB.
Despite having lost a hand while making bombs, Mahfuz remained evaded arrest for almost two decades. http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/crime/2017/07/08/gulshan-attack-hatkata-marfuz-arrested/