The Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has filed a chargesheet against 9 militants of banned outfit Ansar-al-Islam including Syed Ziaul Haque, a sacked army officer, chief of Ansar al-Islam's military wing in a case related to the killing of a secular online activist and blogger Nazimuddin Samad.

Samad, an activist and law student at Jagannath University, was killed on April 6, 2016, at Ekrampur intersection in Laxmibazar here while he was on his way back to the hostel after class.

Five militants had hacked Nazim to death with choppers, they confessed before the court, police told IANS.

After killing him, the militants fled on two motorcycles. A case was filed at Sutrapur police station over the incident.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (DC) of CTTC Saiful Islam confirmed the information to IANS on Thursday evening.

Ansar al-Islam, a banned Militant outfit and pro-Al-Qaeda militant group, has killed nine people in Bangladesh, including science-fiction writer and philosopher Abhijit Roy, Ahmed Rashid Tutul, the publisher and childhood friend of Avijit, owner of a publishing company 'Shuddhaswar'.

On April 25, 2016, the militants of the banned group also killed USAID official and rights activist Julhaj Mannan, and his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy.

"We submitted the chargesheet in the case before a Dhaka court on Tuesday," Saiful Islam told IANS on Thursday.

The fugitives are Rashid Un Nabi, Mozammel Hossain Simon, Arafat Rahman, and Md. Sheikh Abdullah among them, Mozammel Hossain Simon and Arafat Rahman are also accused in the murder of Abhijit Roy.

The five fugitives are Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia (sacked), Md. Wali Ullah alias Oli, Sabbirul Haque Chowdhury alias Konik, Maulana Junaid Ahmed alias Junaid and Akram Hossain.

Of the accused, four members of the banned outfit have so far been arrested, while five others including sacked army officer Zia are on the run, according to the chargesheet.

The four arrested accused are -- Rashidun Nabi Bhuiyan, Mozammel Hossain Saimun, Arafat Rahman, and Sheikh Abdullah.
(IANS)