Source of arms used by Dhaka's cafe attackers traced

The police here has traced the source of the "state-of-the-art" weaponry used to attack an upscale cafe in Dhaka on July 1 that killed 22 people, a top official said on Monday.

"We are trying to arrest those who supplied the weapons," the Daily Star quoted Bangladesh Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque as saying.

"The arms used in the attacks were not very modern. We have found the source from where the attackers got them [arms]," Hoque said, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The police chief had on Sunday announced that the masterminds behind the Dhaka attack have been identified and their arrest is "a matter of time".

Hoque reiterated the need for a social movement against militancy and mentioned that those running militant groups in Bangladesh have been identified.

He also mentioned that educational institutions of the country are under vigilance as the terrorists who have been identified behind the recent attacks were students.

Seven terrorists on July 1 attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery and O' Kitchen Restaurant in Gulshan's high-security diplomatic enclave. They killed 22 people, including 18 foreigners and two policemen, until the security forces ended the 12-hour siege rescuing 13 hostages.

Although the Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed the responsibility of the attack, the government maintains that the home grown militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) was behind the attack.

Almost a week later, on July 7, another terror attack struck the country's largest Eid congregation at Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh claiming the lives of four people, including two policemen.

The IGP also noted the police is yet to ascertain any "concrete" international link into the cafe attack.

--IANS

ss/ksk/vt