Monirul Islam, additional commissioner of the Counter Terrorism and Transitional Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, has claimed that the money for the Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks came from the Middle East. He was speaking to journalists at the DMP Media Centre in the capital yesterday. “We’ve come to know that at least Tk. 13 lakh was smuggled into Bangladesh through hundi transfer,” Monirul said.
Law enforcers have already identified the person who received the money and are trying to arrest him, he added. Among the four identified operational commanders of the New JMB, Khokon and Khalid have fled to India, he revealed. “But the other two operational commanders, Nurul Islam Marjan and Rajib Gandhi, alias Suvash Gandhi, are still hiding in the country. We’re trying to arrest them,” Monirul said.
About the present strength of the militant outfit, the leading counter-terrorism expert said 60 to 70 per cent of their strength  has already been destroyed. In the last four incidents, many of their operational commanders, coordinators and military trainers were killed by law enforcers, and this has weakened the militant outfit, he said. Speaking about the arms used in the latest militant attacks, Monirul said: “We're sure that the arms came through the Indian border.” But the name of the manufacturing country is yet to be determined as nothing has been written on the arms, he added. Replying to a question, Monirul said among the three children who were rescued from the Azimpur militant den, two were handed over to their relatives, while one was being interrogated by an officer. Twenty-two people, including the attackers, were killed in the July 1 terror attack on Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan. Another terror attack was carried out on the Eid congregation at the Sholakia Eidgah on July 7 in which four people were killed.