At least nine people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in recent attacks on the offices of national dailies Prothom Alo and The Daily Star as well as two cultural organisations.
Law enforcers carried out raids across Dhaka and other parts of the country and made the arrests by Monday morning, the Chief Adviser’s Office said in a statement.
The seven identified arrestees are Md Kashem Faruk, Md Saidur Rahman, Rakib Hossain, Md Naim, Faisal Ahmed Pranto, Md Sohel Rana, and Md Shafiqul Islam.
The Counter Terrorism Unit and Detective Police also arrested two more individuals whose identities are still being verified.
On Sunday, police and other law enforcement agencies informed Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus that 31 suspects were primarily identified through scrutinising video footage. The meeting was held at the state guesthouse Jamuna.
On the other hand, three people attempting to create unrest near the residence of India’s Assistant High Commissioner in Chattogram were also identified through the footage.
Among those arrested, Kashem Faruk is a former student of Al-Jamia Al-Islamia Qasimul Uloom Madrasa in Bogura and a resident of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur. Another arrestee Saidur Rahman is from Noakanda village in Faridpur’s Bhanga upazila.
Rakib Hossain, a resident of Sherpur district, was seen in a video as an active participant in vandalism and arson at Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. He posted photos of the destruction from his own ID and shared inciting posts on Facebook.
Naim, a resident of Kunipara in Tejgaon, Dhaka, was arrested in Chauddagram upazila of Cumilla with Tk50,000 looted during the incident. In primary interrogation, Naim admitted to looting a total of Tk1,23,000. He confessed to buying a television and a fridge from Mohammadpur with the looted money. Both devices have been recovered.
On the other hand, Sohel was arrested from the Karwan Bazar railway area. He is accused of 13 cases in various police stations including drug-related charges. Meanwhile, Shafiqul was arrested from the same area. He faces two cases for alleged involvement in arson and cocktail explosions.
Interrogation of the other arrestees is currently underway, the statement said.
However, a case was filed with the Tejgaon Police Station in connection with the attacks on Prothom Alo office on 18 December.
Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Op) SN Md Nazrul Islam will brief media at the DMP Media Centre on Monday.
