This Article is From Jul 04, 2016

Pak's ISI Suspected Of Link To Bangladesh Attack: Top Official To NDTV

Hossain Toufique Imam, the political advisor to Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, said the attackers could be linked to Pakistan's ISI.

Highlights

  • 20 hostages killed at cafe, 6 terrorists shot dead
  • Pakistan's ISI assisted local terror group: PM's aide
  • ISIS not responsible for Dhaka attack: PM's aide
Dhaka, Bangladesh: The deadly terror attack on Dhaka which saw 20 hostages hacked to death at a cafe on Friday night was likely enabled by Pakistan's powerful ISI or military spy agency, a top official told NDTV today.

Hossain Toufique Imam is the political advisor to Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. HT Imam told NDTV that the manner in which the hostages, which included 19-year-old Indian student Tarishi Jain, were killed with machetes suggests the role of a local terrorist group, the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.

"Pakistan's ISI and Jamaat connection is well known...they want to derail the current government," HT Imam told NDTV, adding "all victims were hacked to death like Jamaat and local terror groups do".

ISIS had claimed responsibility for the terror strike which also killed two policemen. Six terrorists were killed and one was captured alive in the 11-hour siege.

Bangladesh's Information and Broadcasting minister Hasanul Haq Inu told NDTV that the terrorists - all between the ages of 20 and 25 - are from top schools and universities and come from a good economic background.

The government has consistently denied that international jihadist groups are operating in Bangladesh.

"The arrested terrorist chickened out at the last minute and holds the key" to crucial details, the PM's advisor said.
.