The man accused of setting off a bomb in a crowded pedestrian subway tunnel in the heart of New York has put his family back at home under tremendous mental pressure making them worried about Akayed Ullah's only six-month-old son, reports UNB. "This innocent baby (Akayed's son) didn't see his father's face over the last two days. They used to see each other through video chat every day. I don't know whether he'll be able to see his father anymore," Akayed's mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhter told UNB mentioning that he keeps trying to take cellphone from his mother. While talking to this correspondent at her residence at Moneswar Road of Jigatola in the city, she said Akayed chose the name - Obiad Ullah Ajjam - for his only son keeping a bit similarity with his own name. “I want to see Ajjam growing up normally like other kids,” Mahfuza said with tears in her eyes and lower lip trembling. Sitting beside her, Akayed’s uncle Abdul Ahad said they do not want to see people calling him the son of a militant.
Approached, Akayed’s wife Jannatul Ferdous Jui refused to talk and kept crying inside her room as she feels, according to her brother Hasan Mahmud Joy, the dream she had with her husband and son has apparently got shattered with the incident. Akayed met Rohingyas in Oct Akayed Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September 8 and stayed for less than two months, Mahfuza Akher said. “Akayed had visited Rohingya camps and distributed medicines for Rohingyas before he left for New York on October 22,” she said. Mahfuza Akher said Akayed did not even stay at hotel. “I asked why didn’t you book hotel? He replied, I’ll spend the money for Rohingyas instead of hotel booking.” She said Akayed travelled Cox’s Bazar by bus and during bus journey at night he had video chat with his only son and wife.
Talking to UNB, Akayed’s father-in-law Julfiqar Haider said Akayed was a very gentle, polite and honest young man. “I have no doubt about that. And we chose the best person for our only daughter.” He said Akayed used to offer Namaj in Shahi Mosque five times a day and Akayed’s wife Namaj also do the same. “You already know, police found his no criminal link in Bangladesh. Only Almighty knows what happened after his arrival in the USA,” Julfiqar Haider said. Talking to UNB, Hasan Mahmud Joy said her only sister Jui did her graduation in Accounting from the Dhaka City College. He said her sister might download an e-book of Jasimuddin (leader of the banned militant outfit Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani).
“I don’t think her husband ask her to read this. So far, I know she only read two pages of the book. If she had any ill motive, she could have deleted it not showing to police,” said Joy who had to leave his job on Wednesday as police asked him to get ready for interrogation anytime.
Akayed’s mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhter repeatedly sought initiatives to bring Akayed back to Bangladesh and if necessary to punish him in Bangladesh, if he is found guilty.
Akayed reportedly gave a leaflet of militant leader Jasimuddin to his wife and asked her to read it in September last indicating that he was self-radicalised, said a top police official on Wednesday. Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam said Akayed might have been self-radicalised through internet after going to the USA as he had no criminal record in Bangladesh. Monirul also said police didn’t find Akayed’s link in any militancy activities in Bangladesh.
Quoting Jui, the CTTC chief said she also discussed the content of the leaflet with her husband.Monirul said Akayed followed Islami dress code, rules strictly and offered Namaz regularly during his last visit to Bangladesh.
During his stay at home, most of the time he remained busy with his laptop, Monirul said quoting Akayed’s wife. During his stay in Bangladesh, he visited places outside Dhaka several times but she does not know where he had gone. Besides, he spent most of his time with family, Monirul said quoting Jui. Earlier, police picked up Akayed’s wife Jannatul Ferdous Jui, his father-in-law Zulfikar Haider, mother-in-law Mahfuza Akhter from the city’s Jigatala area on Tuesday for interrogation.