The charge sheet against 21 people will be submitted soon in a case filed over the attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in the city's Gulshan in July 2016, said the chief of Counter Terrorismand Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam, reports UNB.
Talking to the reporters at his office on Saturday, the CTTC chief said a total of 13 militants among the 21 people were killed during different gunfights with law enforcers.
The remark of the CTTC unit chief came just a day ahead of the 2nd anniversary of the deadliest militant attack in Bangladesh's history.
The nation will on Sunday recall the cafe attack in solemn remembrance of those who lost their lives.
On the evening of July 1, 2016, five militants entered the Cafe with crude bombs, machetes, pistols, and took several dozen people hostages, including 18 foreigners.
Twenty hostages - nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladesh-born American and two Bangladeshis - were killed by the militants inside the cafe.
Besides, two senior police officers - then officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station Salauddin Ahmed Khan and Detective Branch assistant commissioner Robiul Islam - were shot dead when police tried to gain control of the bakery.
Thirteen people, including three foreigners, were rescued from the restaurant after a successful operation led by the 1st Para-commando Battalion, an elite force in the Bangladesh Army the following morning (July 2).
Five militants and one restaurant staff were killed and one suspected militant was arrested during the drive.
Monirul Islam, who is also Additional Commissioner of the DMP, said eight militants, among the 21 chargesheet accused, are alive. Of them, six have been languishing in jail while the remaining two are on the run, he said.
However, he did not mention the names and identities of the suspects.
About the motive behind the attack, the CTTC unit chief said the militants' main motive was to bring about fall of the present government.
The militants thought that the country will turn into a 'fail state' if the government falls, he added.
During investigation, the investigators have found that a group of the banned Islamic outfit JMB, who believes to implement sariah law through so-called jihad in the country.
They first committed some killings in the northern region and then killed a policeman in Dhaka as well as resorted to attack in Hussaini Dalan of Old Dhaka.
Later, the group members emerged as the New JMB members, and carried out attack on the Gulshan Holey Artisan Cafe, Monirul Islam said.
The militants had a plan to attack such a restaurant where foreigners will be available. They chose the Holey Artisan Cafe for getting world media coverage, he said.
Replying to a question, the CTTC unit chief said the investigators are yet to find involvement of any political party in the cafe attack as the law enforcement agencies failed to arrest top Neo-JMB leader Tamim Chowdhury.
"But some of the killed militants might have been involved in religion-based political parties," he said.
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