Hasnat’s wife: My husband is innocent

In this statement, sent to some media outlets yesterday, Sharmina has provided some details of her family’s experience inside the Gulshan restaurant during the hostage situation on July 1. “Throughout the night we were all held at gunpoint and my husband was forced to obey the commands of the attackers,” she wrote. Detectives interrogated Hasnat, his family and other survivors after the Gulshan attack. Then they were released, except Hasnat and another survivor – Tahmid Hasib Khan – who police said were kept for at least for a week. But the families say they had no contact with the two until they were arrested on August 3. They were put on remand the next day. In the remand petition, police identified Hasnat as an active member of banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir and Tahmid as his associate. Police also claimed that Hasnat had downloaded secured private messenger WICKR ME on his phone, which the militants used to communicate with their superiors and send photos and videos of the attack. Sharmina wrote that the gunmen ordered Hasnat to download the app, but he failed, at which point they took his phone. Detectives say they will conduct a forensic test of the mobile. Around morning, the gunmen told Hasnat and another male hostage to go to the roof with them, Sharmina wrote. They returned after 15 minutes. Several photos of Hasnat, Tahmid and a terrorist on the roof have appeared in the media. Tahmid is seen holding a gun. Police say they are assessing those photos. After half an hour they again took Hasnat, gave him a key and told him to unlock the gate. This was when all the hostages were released. On Hasnat’s reported termination from North South University for involvement with Hizb ut-Tahir, Sharmina said the reports were false and said he retired to help with his father’s business. She also pointed to NSU’s statement on this issue.Statement of Hasnat’s wifeMy husband is innocent and is the victim of a terrorist attack, along with all the other hostages that night. The only reason we were at the restaurant that night was to celebrate my daughter’s 13th birthday, I cannot believe anyone would suggest otherwise. The children are Hasnat’s life and he would never put us in harms way. Once the attackers found out we were Hasnat’s family, they took advantage of it. They knew he would not abandon us. That is why they chose him to carry out several tasks during the night. Throughout the night we were all held at gunpoint and my husband was forced to obey the commands of the attackers. They threatened us if he did not do as they said. We realised there was an attack when we heard gunshots and screams coming from the seating outside the restaurant. I was very scared and then suddenly the gunmen entered the restaurant. We were immediately asked if we were Bangladeshi and if we were Muslim. When we said yes, they asked us to put our heads down and said, “We love Muslims, you can trust us, we will not harm you.” Some of the other hostages had to remind the attackers about this promise they had made throughout the night. After that they made us sit at a table with some of the other hostages they had brought from outside. We were always with our heads down. I sat with my two children on either side holding their hands tightly the whole time; my husband was made to sit across from us. They asked everyone at the table for their phones. Only Hasnat and two young women who had been brought to sit at our table handed their phones over, the two other male hostages said they did not have their phones. The gunmen ordered Hasnat to unlock his screen and download an app they wanted, but he could not download it. They then took his phone. The gunmen asked the restaurant staff for the WiFi password. The gunmen kept talking to us about Islam and giving us lessons about it. At one point one of the terrorists sat down at our table, pointing his gun at us while some of the others continued to move around and search for anyone hiding. He asked us if we knew the Sura Fatiha. I nodded yes, my husband nervously started to recite it without being asked. The terrorist then asked if we knew the meaning of it. My husband started trying to say the meaning, but made some mistakes. The terrorist said “you know the Sura, without knowing the meaning?” We were waiting for something bad to happen, but he didn’t say anything else. They pointed at me and my children and asked “whose family is this?” my husband replied that we were his family. After that we sat in silence. I prayed and kept holding my children; we were all terrified. Throughout the night, in order to raise our heads, use the washroom or anything else, we had to ask for permission first. If they gave permission, they would follow the person with a gun to keep them under guard. They also told two young women at our table to cover their heads with their dupattas and gave me a white cloth and made me cover my daughter’s head. Everything my husband did he was forced to do at gunpoint. At around 10 pm his uncle called his phone. The terrorists noticed this told Hasnat to talk to his uncle and tell him to tell the police that if they entered the restaurant they would shoot all of us. They took his phone back after that and used it again. They took pictures of the dead bodies lying around us with the phones. They also told everyone to give them their I.D. cards. Some people said they did not have their I.D. cards on them. The women did not respond to this request and we stayed quiet with our heads down. My husband had his I.D., so he handed that over, not wanting to take the risk of angering them. Near the morning, the gunmen told my husband and another male hostage to go with them up to the roof of the building. I thought they must have changed their minds, and that they were taking them to shoot them after all. Both of them were very scared but the gunman said, “don’t worry we will not do anything to you, just follow us.” I was very worried that I would not see him again. I was so relieved when they returned after 15 minutes but then we went back to waiting for something terrible to happen again. After half an hour they again took my husband and gave him a key and told him to unlock the gate. My husband followed their instructions exactly as he was told to do. He unlocked the gate and came back. Then they told him to stand in front of the glass door, again he did exactly what they told him to do. At last they asked the rest of us to get up and leave the room one by one. My husband who was still standing by the glass door gestured to me with his hands, to get the children and start moving quickly. We left the restaurant one by one. We had no idea if they were going to shoot us as we left the restaurant. I was holding my son’s hand and Hasnat was holding my daughter’s, who still had the white cloth covering her head. We had to cross a lawn and then walk for a long while till we reached safety. I fell behind and Hasnat looked back and told me to run. I was exhausted and could not walk properly. The rumours about my husband being fired from NSU are completely false. He retired from his position to help with his father’s business as a civil engineer in 2013. In fact NSU has released a statement clearing his name (see below). They also released a circular the week following the attack which also clears his name (also attached). We have and will continue to cooperate with the police in their investigation in order to speed up his release. We are all very tired and worried about him and we only want him back home with us. We are fully confident that any further investigation will exonerate him, as he is innocent. My children really miss their father and ask about him every day. We just want him to be back home with us so that we can start recovering from this terrible attack. NSU Statement clearing Hasnat’s name: “Belal Ahmed, spokesperson for the NSU, said Hasnat had joined the university as a full-time business faculty member in 2008. In August 2012, he wanted to become a part-time teacher so that he could lookafter his father’s businesses. With his request under process, he worked as a part-time teacher since the first semester of 2013. Later, he quit the university. Asked whether he was fired for his involvement in militant outfit Hizb-ut Tahrir, the NSU official said Hasnat was not among the four teachers sacked for their involvement with the outfit.” Source: The Daily Star, July 6, 2016 http://www.thedailystar.net/dhaka-attack/attackers-were-among- dozen-missing-youth-1250803.