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Briton and university student arrested over Dhaka siege, police say Briton and university student arrested over Dhaka siege, police say
(35 minutes later)
Bangladeshi police say they have arrested a British national and a student at a Canadian university in connection with a deadly siege in a cafe in Dhaka last month.Bangladeshi police say they have arrested a British national and a student at a Canadian university in connection with a deadly siege in a cafe in Dhaka last month.
Hasnat Karim, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, and Tahmid Khan, a student at the University of Toronto, were inside the Holey Artisan cafe when gunmen raided the premises on the night of 1 July, taking a group of mainly western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two police officers.Hasnat Karim, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, and Tahmid Khan, a student at the University of Toronto, were inside the Holey Artisan cafe when gunmen raided the premises on the night of 1 July, taking a group of mainly western diners hostage and then killing 20 of them, along with two police officers.
Police said the two were arrested in a residential area of the Bangladeshi capital on Wednesday, contradicting the men’s families who say they have been held by authorities ever since the end of the siege, when commandos stormed the cafe on the morning of 2 July.Police said the two were arrested in a residential area of the Bangladeshi capital on Wednesday, contradicting the men’s families who say they have been held by authorities ever since the end of the siege, when commandos stormed the cafe on the morning of 2 July.
Neither man has been seen in public since then and their families insist there is no evidence to link them to the attackers and that they were no more than innocent bystanders. Neither man has been seen in public since then and their families insist there is no evidence to link them to the attackers and that they were no more than innocent bystanders. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the treatment.
Earlier this week Karim’s wife, Sharmina Parveen, said she was worried about her husband’s wellbeing. “It has been one month. We are worried. We just want him to come back soon and safe,” she told the Guardian. Karim’s family say he was at the cafe on the night of the attack with his wife and two children to celebrate the 13th birthday of his daughter.
The family’s lawyer, Rodney Dixon QC, last week petitioned the UN human rights council seeking Karim’s immediate release. “You can’t just keep somebody held in a black hole for days and days, weeks and weeks. You have got to release them or you have got to charge them if you have sufficient evidence,” Dixon said. Speaking after news of the arrest, Karim’s father Rezaul told AFP his son had been used as a human shield by the attackers and that he had helped save lives during the ordeal. “I have full confidence in the police investigation,” said Rezaul Karim. “My son was a hero. He saved the life of at least eight people during the siege. I know him. He is innocent.”
Karim’s family said he had a heart condition and has had three stents implanted. “When we last saw him he was looking very exhausted,” said his wife, who stated she was granted four minutes of access to her husband on on 13 July and had not seen him since. The family’s lawyer, Rodney Dixon QC, last week petitioned the UN human rights council seeking Karim’s immediate release. On Thursday he said: “The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody. They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries … He is not a suspect and has not been charged. We therefore fully expect that he will be promptly released.”
Speaking before police announced the arrests on Thursday, human rights groups condemned the treatment of Khan and Karim. “Hasnat Karim’s family … have already suffered a traumatic episode, and his enforced disappearance prolongs their ordeal,” Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s south Asia director, said. Karim’s family said he had a heart condition and has had three stents implanted. Earlier this week his wife, Sharmina Parveen, said she was granted four minutes of access to her husband on 13 July and had not seen him since. She described him as looking exhausted, adding: “We are worried. We just want him to come back soon and safe.”
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The attack on the cafe was a horrific event, and the authorities should conduct thorough investigations by questioning those held hostage – but they must do so in a rights-respecting manner. Karim and Khan have not had access to a lawyer, and the police continue to deny holding them although they are clearly still being held by the detective branch. The authorities need to either charge or release them immediately.”
Karim, 47, was a lecturer at Bangladesh’s private North South University in Dhaka, and more recently had been working as a director at his father’s engineering company. Khan, a 22-year-old Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from his university in Canada.Karim, 47, was a lecturer at Bangladesh’s private North South University in Dhaka, and more recently had been working as a director at his father’s engineering company. Khan, a 22-year-old Bangladeshi citizen, was back in his homeland while on leave from his university in Canada.
Police have named Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury as the mastermind of the attack, offering a reward of up to $25,000 (£19,000) for any information leading to his arrest.Police have named Canadian citizen Tamim Chowdhury as the mastermind of the attack, offering a reward of up to $25,000 (£19,000) for any information leading to his arrest.
The siege at the Holey Artisan cafe was by far the deadliest in a string of attacks claimed by Islamist groups that have blighted Bangladesh over the past three years.The siege at the Holey Artisan cafe was by far the deadliest in a string of attacks claimed by Islamist groups that have blighted Bangladesh over the past three years.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunmen were pictured posing with Isis flags in images posted on a website affiliated to the group.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunmen were pictured posing with Isis flags in images posted on a website affiliated to the group.
However, prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has said however that the attack was the work of a homegrown Islamist group, insisting that international jihadi groups had not got a foothold in Bangladesh.However, prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has said however that the attack was the work of a homegrown Islamist group, insisting that international jihadi groups had not got a foothold in Bangladesh.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this reportAgence France-Presse contributed to this report