Bangladesh will be on high alert on New Year&#39;s&nbsp;as much as Europe and other parts of the world. But unlike the other countries where civilians will be watchful, in Dhaka&nbsp;people must end their outdoor errands by 8 pm on December 31, and no fireworks are allowed.

Bangladesh&nbsp;interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan has already announced that tight security will be maintained on the streets&nbsp;and the diplomatic zones will have tight security.

New Year celebrations in Bangladesh have become a very dry, private and restricted affair in the past decade or so, and the July caf&eacute; attack in Dhaka has added to the reasons to continue the trend. At least 20 lives were lost in the caf&eacute; attack, and, while no life matters less, the killing of 17 foreigners alarmed visitors to the country.

This has had implications on investments in the country, besides concerns for tourism, and reputation. The garment industry, which attracts most interest from western and European buyers, has witnessed a fall in visits.&nbsp;Many business meetings now take place in Hong Kong and Singapore.

&ldquo;We are aware that a lot of buyers cancelled their tickets and did not travel to Bangladesh. Many restaurants and hotels ran out of customers for quite a few months,&rdquo; said Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and transnational crime, Bangladesh police.

Since July&nbsp;security forces have carried out at least nine operations in which 28 suspected militants were killed. The counter-terrorist units have claimed significant success in the operations,&nbsp;which took down Tamim Chowdhury, a suspected leader of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The Neo JMB, according to Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, is an affiliate of the Islamic State.

In another operation, Jahidul Islam, a former major of Bangladesh army, and a suspected member of Neo JMB, was killed on September 2.

Syed Ziaul Haque --&nbsp;another former major of Bangladesh army, who is said to be leading Ansar Al Islam, an affiliate of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) --&nbsp;is still at large. Two others of interest are Maynul Musa and Nurul Islam Marzan --&nbsp;both leaders of the Neo JMB.

&ldquo;In 2016 we had some unprecedented terrorist incidents that never happened in Bangladesh. Law enforcment&nbsp;agencies are working (on it)&nbsp;and after the Gulshan incident, people from all spheres of life have come together against terrorism. That is the main strength of Bangladesh,&rdquo; says Islam, also an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

&ldquo;We think that we are now more experienced in combating terrorism. We are optimistic that in 2017, with our increased knowledge and expertise of countering terrorism, we will be able to dismantle their organisational structure,&rdquo; Islam told WION.

Islam&rsquo;s counter-terrorist unit&nbsp;arrested five members of JMB on December 28 in Dhaka with 30 kilograms of explosive. Even as law enforcers take preemptive measures to thwart subversive activities in an otherwise peace-loving Bangladesh, the attacks and efforts at foiling them have become almost concurrent.

(WION)

Security forces say they hoped to dismantle terror organisations in 2017 with the experience gathered in countering them this year

Bangladesh will be on high alert on New Year's as much as Europe and other parts of the world. But unlike the other countries where civilians will be watchful, in Dhaka people must end their outdoor errands by 8 pm on December 31, and no fireworks are allowed. Bangladesh interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan has already announced that tight security will be maintained on the streets and the diplomatic zones will have tight security. New Year celebrations in Bangladesh have become a very dry, private and restricted affair in the past decade or so, and the July café attack in Dhaka has added to the reasons to continue the trend. At least 20 lives were lost in the café attack, and, while no life matters less, the killing of 17 foreigners alarmed visitors to the country. This has had implications on investments in the country, besides concerns for tourism, and reputation. The garment industry, which attracts most interest from western and European buyers, has witnessed a fall in visits. Many business meetings now take place in Hong Kong and Singapore. “We are aware that a lot of buyers cancelled their tickets and did not travel to Bangladesh. Many restaurants and hotels ran out of customers for quite a few months,” said Monirul Islam, chief of counter-terrorism and transnational crime, Bangladesh police. Since July security forces have carried out at least nine operations in which 28 suspected militants were killed. The counter-terrorist units have claimed significant success in the operations, which took down Tamim Chowdhury, a suspected leader of Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The Neo JMB, according to Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, is an affiliate of the Islamic State. In another operation, Jahidul Islam, a former major of Bangladesh army, and a suspected member of Neo JMB, was killed on September 2. Syed Ziaul Haque -- another former major of Bangladesh army, who is said to be leading Ansar Al Islam, an affiliate of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) -- is still at large. Two others of interest are Maynul Musa and Nurul Islam Marzan -- both leaders of the Neo JMB. “In 2016 we had some unprecedented terrorist incidents that never happened in Bangladesh. Law enforcment agencies are working (on it) and after the Gulshan incident, people from all spheres of life have come together against terrorism. That is the main strength of Bangladesh,” says Islam, also an additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. “We think that we are now more experienced in combating terrorism. We are optimistic that in 2017, with our increased knowledge and expertise of countering terrorism, we will be able to dismantle their organisational structure,” Islam told WION. Islam’s counter-terrorist unit arrested five members of JMB on December 28 in Dhaka with 30 kilograms of explosive. Even as law enforcers take preemptive measures to thwart subversive activities in an otherwise peace-loving Bangladesh, the attacks and efforts at foiling them have become almost concurrent. (WION)

Terror-stricken Bangladesh gears up for muted New Year's celebration

A Bangladesh court allowed police today to continue holding two men in connection with an attack last month claimed by Islamic State that killed 20 hostages at an upscale cafe in the capital, Dhaka police said. 
 
Police told the court they needed more time to interrogate Hasnat Karim, a dual British and Bangladeshi national, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student at Toronto University, in connection with the assault on July 1. The families of both men say they are innocent. Their cases have been marked by confusion. 
 
When the two men were remanded in custody earlier this month, police official Masudur Rahman told reporters they had been arrested &quot;from two different places&quot;. But their families say Karim and Khan were dining, separately, with family and friends when gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery. Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, was said to be at the cafe to celebrate his daughter&#39;s 13th birthday. 
 
Police confirmed on today that Karim has been formally arrested, while Khan was being held as a suspect. Both appeared before the court, with Karim being remanded for a further eight days and Khan for six. 
 
Rahman said Karim was arrested because police needed &quot;further details&quot; because of information that emerged during his interrogation.&nbsp; 
He told Reuters that video footage during the cafe attack showed Karim appearing to act &quot;calm and normal with the militants.&quot; He declined to give any further information.&nbsp; 
 
Karim&#39;s wife, Sharmina Karim, told Reuters it was not at all clear to her what was happening. 
 
&quot;He is innocent. He went to the cafe along with me and our two daughters,&quot; she said after Karim made his court appearance. &quot;How can it be that he would go there knowing there would be such a massacre? Is this not unusual, unbelievable thinking?&quot; There was no immediate comment from the Khan family.&nbsp; 
 
Karim and Khan were among 32 people rescued by police and taken into custody for questioning after the attack. Police released the others soon after. 
 
During the attack on the cafe, Islamist militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian before security forces stormed the eatery to end the 12-hour siege. Two police also died in the operation. 
 
The government has dismissed suggestions that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh, even though photographs of attackers posing with assault rifles in front of the group`s black banner were posted on the group&#39;s propaganda outlets.&nbsp; 
 
Neither Karim nor Khan appeared in the photographs.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Police told they needed more time to interrogate Bangladesh-born Briton Hasnat Karim and Tahmid Hasib Khan, Toronto University student

A Bangladesh court allowed police today to continue holding two men in connection with an attack last month claimed by Islamic State that killed 20 hostages at an upscale cafe in the capital, Dhaka police said. Police told the court they needed more time to interrogate Hasnat Karim, a dual British and Bangladeshi national, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student at Toronto University, in connection with the assault on July 1. The families of both men say they are innocent. Their cases have been marked by confusion. When the two men were remanded in custody earlier this month, police official Masudur Rahman told reporters they had been arrested "from two different places". But their families say Karim and Khan were dining, separately, with family and friends when gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery. Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, was said to be at the cafe to celebrate his daughter's 13th birthday. Police confirmed on today that Karim has been formally arrested, while Khan was being held as a suspect. Both appeared before the court, with Karim being remanded for a further eight days and Khan for six. Rahman said Karim was arrested because police needed "further details" because of information that emerged during his interrogation. He told Reuters that video footage during the cafe attack showed Karim appearing to act "calm and normal with the militants." He declined to give any further information. Karim's wife, Sharmina Karim, told Reuters it was not at all clear to her what was happening. "He is innocent. He went to the cafe along with me and our two daughters," she said after Karim made his court appearance. "How can it be that he would go there knowing there would be such a massacre? Is this not unusual, unbelievable thinking?" There was no immediate comment from the Khan family. Karim and Khan were among 32 people rescued by police and taken into custody for questioning after the attack. Police released the others soon after. During the attack on the cafe, Islamist militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian before security forces stormed the eatery to end the 12-hour siege. Two police also died in the operation. The government has dismissed suggestions that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh, even though photographs of attackers posing with assault rifles in front of the group`s black banner were posted on the group's propaganda outlets. Neither Karim nor Khan appeared in the photographs. (Reuters)

Bangladesh allows more time to detain two over Dhaka cafe attack

Bangladesh has launched a clampdown on social media sites spreading jihadist propaganda after an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered, saying the country&#39;s young were being radicalised online. 
 
Authorities said the deadly siege at an upmarket cafe popular with foreigners had been an &quot;eye-opener&quot;, exposing the role of social media in recruiting young men to jihadist groups. 
 
&quot;Social media has become a fertile ground for recruiting militants,&quot; the head of the telecoms regulator Shahjahan Mahmood told AFP. 
 
&quot;The attack was an eye-opener for us. They (jihadist groups) attract the young men through social media.&quot; 
 
The Islamic State group, which has claimed Friday night&#39;s attack, has long used social media to recruit fighters and incite individuals around the world to commit terrorist attacks. 
 
Mahmood said the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had ordered YouTube to remove videos of &quot;radical preachings&quot;, including those of the firebrand cleric Jashim Uddin Rahmani. 
 
He was sentenced to five years in jail last December after his speeches were found to have incited Islamist militants to kill the atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in early 2013. 
 
Shortly after the cafe siege, it emerged that several of the Bangladesh attackers were young, tech-savvy men from wealthy families and had easy access to social media. 
 
The father of 22-year-old Rohan Imtiaz, one of the suspected attackers killed when commandoes stormed the cafe, has said he believes his son may have been radicalised online. 
 
Imtiaz reportedly posted an appeal on Facebook last year urging all Muslims to become terrorists and quoting a controversial Indian preacher who has been banned in Britain, Canada and Malaysia. 
 
&quot;He was a practising Muslim. So many people are. Maybe he was radicalised through the internet,&quot; his father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP. 
 
&quot;But I never checked what he was browsing...Someone may have brainwashed him.&quot; 
 
Bangladesh police issued a stern warning Wednesday that anyone caught sharing jihadist propaganda online would be punished in the wake of the unprecedented attack in Dhaka. 
 
&quot;Uploading, sharing, commenting or liking any video, images or speech in the social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in support of the Islamic State or militancy is a punishable offence,&quot; Deputy Inspector General of police AKM&nbsp;Shahidur Rahman said. 
 
&quot;If anyone is found to have engaged in such activities, tough legal action will be taken against that person.&quot; 
 
Photos of carnage&nbsp; 
Survivors of the cafe siege have told how the young attackers seized mobile phones from hostages and forced them to provide their passwords so they could send out photographs of the carnage that were quickly disseminated by IS. 
 
Some reports said they had brought laptops, and ordered cafe workers to switch on the wifi. 
 
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are already working around the clock to take down jihadist accounts, but they often pop up again under different names. 
 
Experts say IS supporters are also turning to smaller social media platforms like Telegram, a messenger app, to disseminate their propaganda. 
 
Facebook and Twitter have removed some posts and Mahmood, of the telecoms regulator, said the government would bring in tougher laws to tackle radicalism on social media. 
 
Bangladeshi police have set up a special email address and urged people to report any suspicious online activities following last week&#39;s attack. 
 
Meanwhile the head of the country&#39;s elite security force appealed to Bangladeshis to be vigilant over the use of social media sites as a recruiting tool, and to report missing relatives. 
 
&quot;If there are any missing family members, please tell us, don&#39;t be afraid that law-enforcing agencies will take your sons away,&quot; said Benazir Ahmed. 
 
&quot;Their lives and other lives can be saved if they are found.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube already work hard to take down jihadist accounts, but they often pop up again under different names

Bangladesh has launched a clampdown on social media sites spreading jihadist propaganda after an attack on a Dhaka cafe in which 20 hostages were murdered, saying the country's young were being radicalised online. Authorities said the deadly siege at an upmarket cafe popular with foreigners had been an "eye-opener", exposing the role of social media in recruiting young men to jihadist groups. "Social media has become a fertile ground for recruiting militants," the head of the telecoms regulator Shahjahan Mahmood told AFP. "The attack was an eye-opener for us. They (jihadist groups) attract the young men through social media." The Islamic State group, which has claimed Friday night's attack, has long used social media to recruit fighters and incite individuals around the world to commit terrorist attacks. Mahmood said the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had ordered YouTube to remove videos of "radical preachings", including those of the firebrand cleric Jashim Uddin Rahmani. He was sentenced to five years in jail last December after his speeches were found to have incited Islamist militants to kill the atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in early 2013. Shortly after the cafe siege, it emerged that several of the Bangladesh attackers were young, tech-savvy men from wealthy families and had easy access to social media. The father of 22-year-old Rohan Imtiaz, one of the suspected attackers killed when commandoes stormed the cafe, has said he believes his son may have been radicalised online. Imtiaz reportedly posted an appeal on Facebook last year urging all Muslims to become terrorists and quoting a controversial Indian preacher who has been banned in Britain, Canada and Malaysia. "He was a practising Muslim. So many people are. Maybe he was radicalised through the internet," his father Imtiaz Khan Babul told AFP. "But I never checked what he was browsing...Someone may have brainwashed him." Bangladesh police issued a stern warning Wednesday that anyone caught sharing jihadist propaganda online would be punished in the wake of the unprecedented attack in Dhaka. "Uploading, sharing, commenting or liking any video, images or speech in the social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in support of the Islamic State or militancy is a punishable offence," Deputy Inspector General of police AKM Shahidur Rahman said. "If anyone is found to have engaged in such activities, tough legal action will be taken against that person." Photos of carnage Survivors of the cafe siege have told how the young attackers seized mobile phones from hostages and forced them to provide their passwords so they could send out photographs of the carnage that were quickly disseminated by IS. Some reports said they had brought laptops, and ordered cafe workers to switch on the wifi. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are already working around the clock to take down jihadist accounts, but they often pop up again under different names. Experts say IS supporters are also turning to smaller social media platforms like Telegram, a messenger app, to disseminate their propaganda. Facebook and Twitter have removed some posts and Mahmood, of the telecoms regulator, said the government would bring in tougher laws to tackle radicalism on social media. Bangladeshi police have set up a special email address and urged people to report any suspicious online activities following last week's attack. Meanwhile the head of the country's elite security force appealed to Bangladeshis to be vigilant over the use of social media sites as a recruiting tool, and to report missing relatives. "If there are any missing family members, please tell us, don't be afraid that law-enforcing agencies will take your sons away," said Benazir Ahmed. "Their lives and other lives can be saved if they are found." (AFP)

Bangladesh clamps down on social media spreading jihadist propaganda

Bangladeshi police said Tuesday they are investigating whether security forces accidentally shot dead an innocent kitchen worker when they stormed a Dhaka cafe where Islamist attackers were holding people hostage. 
 
Relatives raised the alarm after recognising Saiful Islam Chowkider, who made pizzas and pasta at the cafe, among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released after the siege. 
 
&quot;We think that he was accidentally shot dead,&quot; said police official Saiful Islam of the 39-year-old cafe worker. &quot;We are investigating.&quot; 
 
Bangladeshi security forces shot dead six men when they stormed the cafe on Saturday morning, bringing the all-night siege to an end after the death of 20 hostages. One suspected attacker was captured alive. 
 
Chowkider&#39;s cousin Solaiman said the family assumed he had been rescued until they saw his photo among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released to the public. 
 
&quot;We protested. We said he was never a militant. He was a hardworking man and one of the best pizza and pasta makers in Bangladesh,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
&quot;We went to the military, but they would not hand over the body, they said he was a suspect.&quot; 
 
Solaiman said the whole family was shocked by the death of Chowkider, who worked for many years in Germany, learning to make Italian food. 
 
He is survived by two daughters and his wife, who is pregnant.

'We think that he was accidentally shot dead,' said a police official. 'We are investigating'

Bangladeshi police said Tuesday they are investigating whether security forces accidentally shot dead an innocent kitchen worker when they stormed a Dhaka cafe where Islamist attackers were holding people hostage. Relatives raised the alarm after recognising Saiful Islam Chowkider, who made pizzas and pasta at the cafe, among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released after the siege. "We think that he was accidentally shot dead," said police official Saiful Islam of the 39-year-old cafe worker. "We are investigating." Bangladeshi security forces shot dead six men when they stormed the cafe on Saturday morning, bringing the all-night siege to an end after the death of 20 hostages. One suspected attacker was captured alive. Chowkider's cousin Solaiman said the family assumed he had been rescued until they saw his photo among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released to the public. "We protested. We said he was never a militant. He was a hardworking man and one of the best pizza and pasta makers in Bangladesh," he told AFP. "We went to the military, but they would not hand over the body, they said he was a suspect." Solaiman said the whole family was shocked by the death of Chowkider, who worked for many years in Germany, learning to make Italian food. He is survived by two daughters and his wife, who is pregnant.

Bangladesh police may have accidentally killed Holey Artisan employee

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said she was determined to eradicate terrorism in Bangladesh after security forces stormed into a cafe where Islamist extremists had taken dozens of diners hostage. 
 
&quot;It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people? They don&#39;t have any religion,&quot; she said in a televised speech. 
 
&quot;People must resist these terrorists. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
The Bangladesh cafe hostage siege finally ended on Saturday after a bloody fight between commandos and militants. 
 
&quot;We have been able to save 13 people, six gunmen have been killed,&quot; the PM said and added, &quot;All security agencies did a great job.&quot; 
 
Eight to nine gunmen had attacked the upscale cafe Holey Artisan in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners. 
 
The security forces launched an offensive to end the hostage crisis at the restaurant today morning, reports the Daily Star.The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic gun fire with police outside for several hours after the attack, which began around 9 pm on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
(Agencies)&nbsp;

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister says she is determined to eradicate terrorism from her country

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said she was determined to eradicate terrorism in Bangladesh after security forces stormed into a cafe where Islamist extremists had taken dozens of diners hostage. "It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people? They don't have any religion," she said in a televised speech. "People must resist these terrorists. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh," she added. The Bangladesh cafe hostage siege finally ended on Saturday after a bloody fight between commandos and militants. "We have been able to save 13 people, six gunmen have been killed," the PM said and added, "All security agencies did a great job." Eight to nine gunmen had attacked the upscale cafe Holey Artisan in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners. The security forces launched an offensive to end the hostage crisis at the restaurant today morning, reports the Daily Star.The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic gun fire with police outside for several hours after the attack, which began around 9 pm on Friday. (Agencies)

'What kind of Muslims are these people?' asks Hasina

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Terror-stricken Bangladesh gears up for muted New Year's celebration

Bangladesh allows more time to detain two over Dhaka cafe attack

Bangladesh clamps down on social media spreading jihadist propaganda

Bangladesh police may have accidentally killed Holey Artisan employee

'What kind of Muslims are these people?' asks Hasina