8 yrs of Holey Artisan Attack: Militants' online presence still cause of concern

Eight years after the gruesome attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's upscale Gulshan area, the extremist threat still remains as banned militant outfits have a plethora of supporters in online groups.

Besides, a good number of members from Neo JMB, the outfit responsible for the Holey Artisan Attack on 1 July 2016 claiming 22 lives, have secured bail in recent months, creating a potential threat to the country's fight against militancy, according to sources involved in the de-radicalisation process of militants.

Bangladesh's counterterrorism officials, however, ruled out any possibilities of extremist attack in the near future as they are tracking down militants out on bail and monitoring their activities.

According to the Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, the Neo JMB is now operating under the leadership of a Saudi expatriate named Abu Bakar, who is a former Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji) leader. He regularly communicates with members of the outfit through encrypted apps and inspires them to be regrouped.

According to the CTTC, at least 70 Neo JMB members have secured bail between June 2023 to June 2024.

After taking charge as the fifth caliph of the Wahhabi jihadist group Islamic State (IS), following Israel's invasion for the Hamas militants into Palestine, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi urged the IS-inspired members in different times in September, December and January to attack on Jews and Christianity. This may trigger Bangladeshi IS-inspired extremists, especially Neo JMB members, to be reunited and regroup, officials say.

Eight years have passed since the terrorist attack on Holy Artisan Bakery on 1 July 2016. Officials of various embassies in Bangladesh pay tribute to the victims by placing flower wreaths in front of the building at plot no 79, Gulshan Road, on Monday (1 July). Photos TBS

A youth from the northern district Bogura, living in Turkey, has been recruiting Bangladeshi youths for Neo JMB, an offshoot of banned Jama'atul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), for the last few years.

The CTTC officials said the youth, Mahadi Hasan John alias Abu Abbas al Bangali, was recently arrested in Turkey but couldn't be extradited.

CTTC Chief and Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Asaduzzaman on Sunday told The Business Standard that law enforcement authorities have successfully brought extremism under control.

"There is no specific threat and the extremists don't have the capacity to carry out any militant activities like the Holey Artisan incident. But they have many sympathisers and supporters online and that is the tension for now."

The CTTC chief added that the banned militant outfit Neo JMB is now recruiting members in a way that he referred a "cut-out process", where the law enforcers after arresting a member can hardly nab his/her recruiter. "And having a trace of the third person is like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Recently, before the Pahela Baishakh this year, a terror threat was issued from an encrypted app on an online group named "Coffee House" which also had more than 40,000 members and supporters.

Till date, the CTTC officials have arrested a total of 826 alleged extremists.

Among them, 200 were from Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), 128 from IS-inspired Neo JMB, 230 from Ansar Al Islam, 15 from HuJI, 120 from Hizb ut-Tahrir, 41 from Imam Mahmuder Kafela, 18 from Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya and 22 from some others organisations.

Apart from this, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested a total 1,875 militants and extremists since its inception in 2004.