National

DB arrests attacker of publisher Tutul

Members of Detectives Branch (DB) claimed that they have arrested a militant who directly took part in the murder attempt on Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, publisher of Shuddhoswar last year.The arrestee was identified as Shihab alias Saiful alias Sumon alias Shakib, an alleged member of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a group accredited with several militant killings.DB members in a drive arrested Shakib from city’s airport road early hours of Thursday, said Mashudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Media wing.Police earlier had floated photos and placed a bounty on the heads of some militants on May 19 this year. There was a Tk 2 lakh bounty on Shihab’s head.Earlier, on October 31 last year miscreants hacked to death Faisal Arefin Dipan of Jagriti Prokashani and critically injured Shuddhoswar’s Ahmedur Rashid Tutul.The twin attacks spaced by a matter of hours spread a wave of panic throughout the country.Tutul and two bloggers Ranadipam Basu and Tareque Rahim came under machete attacks at the Lalmatia office of Shuddhoswar. Tareque was also shot in the chest.Hours after the attack, a group ‘Ansar Al Islam’ (al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent’s Bangladesh branch),’ claimed responsibility through an email sent to different media outlets.The arrest came during a countrywide mass crackdown. So far, over 11,000 people, mostly warranted criminals, have been detained in the drive and less than 200 militants nabbed.