Bangladesh arrests two suspects over July terror attack

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two men on suspicion of involvement in a last month hostage-taking incident in the capital, Dhaka, which left 20 people dead.

According to local media reports, Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Hasib Khan were arrested in different areas of the capital on Wednesday night.

"We can confirm they were arrested," police spokesman A.K.M Shahidur Rahman said on Thursday.

The two men had not been seen in public since the incident, in which five armed gunmen attacked a restaurant on the night of July 1, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining 13 hostages.

Karim, who holds dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Khan, a student of Toronto University, were reportedly dining separately at the restaurant, when the attack took place.

They were unharmed and taken for questioning by police. Police soon released the others, but the two remained in custody.

Their arrest has drawn criticism from rights groups and the suspects’ families who say the two have been kept in jail unjustly.

SS