Middle East finances Gulshan, Sholakia terror attacks

A senior police official on Monday claimed the money for Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks came from the Middle East.

‘We have so far learned the money for the terror attacks in Dhaka’s Gulshan and Sholakia of Kishoreganj came from Middle East but the sources of arms have not yet been known,’ said Monirul Islam, an additional commissioner of police and chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit.

As per the available information, at least Taka 13 lakh was smuggled into Bangladesh through hundi transfer (an illegal system), he said, adding that they came to know the identity of the person who received the money from this end and are trying to capture him.

The sources of money and arms came to light after the July 1, 2016 terror attack on Holey Artisan at Gulshan in which 22 people including the attackers while another terror attack was carried out at Eid congregation in Sholakia Eidgah on July 7, 2016 in which four people were killed.

Police have widened the dragnet to nab the militants after the terror attacks and successfully arrested some of them while some militants were killed in firings between police and the militants, according to a news agency.