A Dhaka court has ordered popular Bangla-language dailies Prothom Alo and Jugantor to provide investigators with the original pictures of Gulshan attack suspects Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Khan which they ran on August 7.
The images were showing Tahmid and Hasnat on the roof of Holey Artisan Bakery on July 2 with one of the Gulshan attackers Rohan Imtiaz. In the photos, Tahmid is seen holding a pistol, while Rohan had an AK-22 rifle dangling from his neck.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury gave the order on Thursday after the counter terrorism unit had moved the court seeking the photos to help the investigation.
General Recording Officer Farid Mia, also a sub-inspector of the metropolitan magistrate court, confirmed Dhaka Tribune about the development.
Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit chief Monirul Islam on Friday said he hoped the editors would comply with the court order.
"We will send the pictures to our forensic lab to ascertain their authenticity," he said.
Monirul said if the photos were fake, publishing them would be considered a criminal offence and "the court will give necessary order on the matter".
"But if they are genuine, we will take help from experts including body language specialists."
Twenty-two people, including 17 foreigners and two policemen, were killed in the Gulshan attack on July 1. The 11-hour siege ended next morning with commando operation Thunderbolt that left five terrorists dead.
Investigators say they believe Tamim Chowhury masterminded the attack. Earlier in the day, investigators released photo of one 'Marjan', who is believed to have coordinated with the attackers and others during the incident.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
