Five testify in Holey Artisan attack case

Five new prosecution witnesses (PWs), including three policemen who rushed to the scene with their colleagues as militants lay seize to upscale Holey Artisan Cafe‚ on July 1, 2016, testified before an anti-terror special court in City on Monday.

The five witnesses are police inspector Rafikul Alam, sub-inspector Kabir Hossain, sub-inspector Mizanur Rahman, and cafe chefs Didar Hossain and Dwin Islam.

They submitted their depositions before Judge Md Mujibur Rahman of Dhaka Anti-terrorism Special Tribunal and were cross examined hereafter. The court after that set June 13 as the next date of hearing.

A total of 45 witnesses out of total 211 have so far testified in the case. Militants killed 20 innocent people, most of them foreigners, in the grisly attack in 2016. Two police officials valiantly laid down their lives while trying to save people there. Later, five militants were killed in a commando operation.

Police filed the case under the anti-terror act with Gulshan Police Station. The trial initiated on November 26, 2018 by framing charges against the eight accused– Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Rashedul Islam alias Rash, Sohel Mahfuz, Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan, Hadisur Rahman Sagar, Shariful Islam and Mamunur Rashid, reports BSS.