Bangladesh identifies 10 masterminds of July 1 cafe attack

Dhaka: Bangladesh police on Thursday said they have identified 10 people who hatched, planned or provided weapons and money to militants for storming a Dhaka cafe on July 1, days after the key mastermind of the country's worst terror attack was killed.

"We have gathered data about 10 people who planned or provided money and weapon for the attack," police's counter-terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit chief Monirul Islam told reporters, confirming a media report.

His comments came as the mass circulation Prothom Alo earlier today carried a report quoting "investigation sources" that they have identified the 10 suspected culprits and "unearthed the current location" of six of them.

Bangladeshi-Canadian Tamim Chowdhury, who is believed to be the mastermind of the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery here was killed on August 27 along with two other militants in a security raid at a hideout in suburban Narayanganj on the outskirts of the capital.

The July 1 attack had killed 22 people, including 16 foreigners and an Indian girl.

Police earlier said the operational commander of the attack, Marzan, was one of the nine militants who were killed in last month's raid on their hideout in the capital.