Bangladesh official 'stunned' by son's role in hostage siege

  DHAKA - A Bangladeshi politician expressed shock at discovering that his son was one of the suspected gunmen who orchestrated a deadly hostage-taking at a Dhaka cafe. Imtiaz Khan Babul said he was "stunned" to learn of his son Rohan's involvement in the attack, and that he believed young Bangladeshi men were becoming radicalised. "We never imagined this," said Babul, an official with the ruling Awami League party, in an interview with the BBC. Friday's attack at the upscale Holey Artisan Bakery cafe left 20 hostages dead. "There was nothing at home, no books or anything to indicate that he was leaning that way. So we had no inkling," said Babul, whose son was among hostage takers killed by police who stormed the cafe. He said he had shared his concerns with parents of missing children. "When I was searching for my son I found that many other boys are missing. Well-educated boys from good, educated families, children of professionals, government officers," he said, "I used to share my sorrows with them. We do not know how this is happening." Rohan reportedly studied at Monash University in Malaysia after leaving Scholastica, where his mother teaches. Babul said he could only guess at how wealthy young Bangladeshis were becoming radicalised, but that believed it could be through the internet. Six young men were shot dead on Saturday at the end of the all-night siege in a Dhaka cafe claimed by Daesh. One was arrested. Most of the attackers were graduates or students of Bangladesh's elite schools. Another was a former madrasa student. All of them were members of the banned extremist group Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh. On Tuesday, police said they had identified a fifth attacker as Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher in Dhaka. Uzzal reportedly left home on January 2, saying that he was going to a pilgrimage, but never returned. On Tuesday the assistant commissioner of Dhaka police, Rafiqul Islam, said police had filed an anti-terrorism case against five known Islamists and an unspecified number of "unidentified attackers", without giving further details. Also read: Bangladesh hostage siege: what 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