Bangladesh security forces kill Islamist militants

Police in Bangladesh killed three suspected militants Saturday, including an alleged mastermind of a major attack on a cafe last month that left 20 people dead.

Police sharpshooters raided a two-story house in Narayanganj district near the capital, Dhaka, after receiving a tip that Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-born Canadian, and others were hiding there, top counterterrorism official Monirul Islam said.

Police say Chowdhury is one of two masterminds of the attack on a popular restaurant in Dhaka on July 1 that that killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners.

The militants belonged to the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, Bangladesh’s police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque told reporters.

Chowdhury is also suspected to be behind a July 7 attack on an Eid gathering outside Dhaka marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he said. Four people died in that attack, including two police officers. (AP)

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