Prof Zafar Iqbal’s attacker, Foyzur Rahman, believes in militancy, disclosed Lt Col Ali Haider Azad, the commander of the Rapid Action Battalion 9 (RAB-9) of Sylhet. "The RAB has received information from Foyzur Rahman. The RAB initially thinks that Foyzur subscribes to the ideology of militancy. A RAB team has been working on the issue. In the meantime, the RAB has interrogated three other persons, including the accused’s uncle Abul Kahar,” he said. Azad was speaking to journalists at a press briefing at the RAB-9 headquarters yesterday (Sunday).

Foyzur Rahman told the RAB that he had carried out the attack as he considered Prof. Iqbal to be an enemy of Islam. RAB sources said he carried out the attack alone. The accused claimed he was working alone, though the RAB does not think so, Azad said, adding they were investigating whether he was involved with any radical or militant group. The commander further disclosed that Foyzur had studied at a madrasa for a certain time. Then he left his education and worked at different places for different periods of time. The RAB is yet to find out the name of the madrasa from where he passed his Dakhil examinations. The RAB is also investigating those connected with him.

Foyzur will be handed over to the Sylhet Metropolitan Police at Jalalabad police station. The police are carrying out an investigation to find out the motive behind the attack. The RAB will investigate the incident alongside the police.

At the briefing, the RAB said that Foyzur’s family had not been found yet, but added they were conducting search operations to find his kith and kin.

The RAB later raided the house of Foyzur Rahman. Abul Kahar, 50, was detained after the raid at Jagdal village under Koliar Union of Dirai upazila in Sunamganj yesterday (Sunday). He was brought to the Sunamganj RAB office for interrogation.

Earlier, police had aided the house of the attacker near the university campus. The police broke open the lock and entered the house; there was nobody at home.

Later, the police detained his maternal uncle, Fozlur Rahman, from his house nearby. At the same time, law enforcement personnel seized books and CDs from the house of the attacker's father, Moulana Atiqur Rahman.

Fozlur Rahman was brought to the police station around 1pm for interrogation, Shafiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jalalabad police station, said.

On Saturday night, a complaint was filed in connection with the attack on Prof. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal. Ishfaqul Hossain, registrar of SUST, filed the complaint with Jalalabad police station. Later, the complaint filed with Jalalabad police station was registered as a case against Foyzur Rahman as the main accused, said Jalalabad police station officer-in-charge (OC) Shafiqul Rahman.

On March 3, a complaint was filed against an unknown person with Jalalabad police station, but it was not recorded as a case. The investigation is underway, the police official said.  

The complaint was lodged based on the statement of two Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) teachers—Riteshwar Talukder, a lecturer of the electrical and electronic engineering (EEE) department, and Saiful Islam, assistant professor of the computer science and engineering (CSE) department.