Militant accused murdering Hindu priest killed in Bangladesh

An Islamist extremist, accused in two separate incidents of attack in Bangladesh was killed in a 'gun fight' when terrorists attacked a police van transporting him, police said on Friday (August 5). Shafiul Islam, 22, was accused of murdering a Hindu priest earlier this year and carrying a deadly attack on Bangladesh's biggest Eid gathering.
        Shafiul Islam, 22, was being driven to a police station on Thursday (August 4) when the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) vehicle was attacked by terrorists. Another person, who was an associate of Shafiul and was among those who attacked the RAB convoy, was also killed in the attack.
        Shafiul, suspect in the Sholakia Eid congregation attack  in Kishoreganj being held by law enforcers on Eid day.
        RAB personnel had detained Shafiul with a bullet wound right after the attack. He was one of the three motorcycle-
 borne assailants who killed priest Jagneshwar Roy, 50, with sharp weapons in the early hours of February 21 according to a newspaper report.
        Roy headed the Santo Gaurio temple at Panchagarh's Debiganj.  A RAB official said Shafiul had been undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) under RAB custody since he was arrested.
        After doctors discharged him on Thursday (August 4), he was being  taken to Kishoreganj to be handed over to the police, he said.
        Three security personnel were also injured in the clashes and two motorcycles, arms and bullets were recovered from the spot.  RAB claimed the gun battle took place while militants were trying to take Shafiul away.  Bombs exploded near an Eid prayer gathering in Sholakia in northern Kishoreganj district on July 7 where at least 200,000 people had gathered. Four persons, including two policemen and a Hindu woman, were also killed in the attack.
        Shafiul was a member of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB), which is accused of carrying out a wave of killings of foreigners
 and religious minorities. Additional Director-General of Police L R Bishnoi told reporters that a preliminary probe established that the attack was carried out by the NDFB(S).
        ‘The mobile phone recovered from the slain militant, who is yet to be identified, contains the numbers of many top
 NDFB(S) leaders and it establishes the outfit's involvement in  the attack though the investigation is on,’ he said.
        Bishnoi said NDFB(S) could have acted out of frustration as the security forces had stepped up their operation against
 the organisation recently.
        ‘The Unified Command had also launched an operation in areas where senior leaders are suspected to be hiding and the attack may have been launched to divert the attention of the security forces,’ he added.
        The security forces recovered an AK-56 rifle, two magazines, a Chinese hand grenade, 49 rounds of ammunition,
 three bags and a mobile phone with two SIM cards from the spot.
        He said 16 people were injured in the attack which include two women and two children.