Dhaka: Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Miah has denied possession of any information leading the force to believe militant leader Tamim Chowdhury had the July 1 Gulshan attack vetted by the so-called Islamic State (IS) before launching it. 

The DMP Commissioner revealed this when his attention was drawn to a Reuters report to that effect last Thursday, where it was said “before Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury orchestrated Bangladesh's worst militant attack, he sought and won approval for it from Islamic State.”

“We have no information in this regard, and I don’t want to comment on this. Our detectives have been investigating,” the Commissioner told reporters after a programme at DMP headquarters. 

The DMP Commissioner on behalf of the force received Tk 2 crore from Dutch Bangla Bank as donation for development of its Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit as well as enhancement of its capability.

A group of militants stormed Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery and café on the night of July 1, and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners. All of the attackers were killed during a commando operation following day early morning.

Tamim Chowdhury and two other militants were killed during a special operation, 'Hit Strong', by CTTC unit after raiding a militant hideout in Narayanganj on August 27.

Claiming success in curbing militancy, the DMO commissioner said “preventing crime is a continuous process. We have carried out a number of successful operations in Kalyanpur, Narayanganj and some other places.”