Jahidul Islam Sourav, one of the three arrested on Tuesday over an attack on bdnews24.com journalists, claims himself to be a member of Juba League, youth front of the ruling Awami League.
He also admitted attacking the journalists and office staff of bdnews24.com on Monday night which left two journalists and one staff of the country's first internet-based newspaper seriously injured.
However, Awami Juba League General Secretary Mirza Azam has denied Sourav's claim. "His claim is false," Azam said.
The other two arrestees – Mir Hossain and Ilias Master Sumon – have, however, denied any connection with the incident.
Police presented the trio in front of the press on Tuesday afternoon at the Detective Branch headquarters of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police where Sourav admitted his involvement in the attack.
On Monday night, unidentified assailants stabbed bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat, Correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom and office staff Ruhul Amin with sharp weapons during an attack which left them with serious injuries.
Police detained the trio from different localities in Mohakhali in separate raids since Monday night until Tuesday afternoon.
DB Additional Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman told reporters, "Sourav was arrested in the morning from his residence in Mohakhali. We also have the names of those who were involved in the attack."
Home Minister Shahara Khatun on Monday night, while visiting the injured at the United Hospital, had said the attackers, whichever political party they are from, would not be spared.
Sourav told reporters that he is a member of the 'Ga unit' of Juba League. He is a Degree first-year student at Titumir College.
However, Mirza Azam told bdnews24.com, "According to the Constitution of Juba League, there is no such organisational infrastructure as 'Ga unit'."
Sourav said that police arrested him from his house at 69/2 at Sakaria Mosque lane at Mohakhali.
Although the injured – Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin – bore wounds from sharp-edged weapons, Sourav claimed that no one was stabbed during the clash.
Asked if they were not stabbed then where did stabbing injuries come from, Sourav said, "I don't know about any stabbing."
He also named three of his 'seniors' – Imran, Yakub and Saddam – involved in the attack.
He said two of them works at a private electronic products manufacturing firm, but could not give their designations at the firm.
Asked to name other members of the Juba League 'Ga unit', Sourav refrained from answering. But he said, "One of the seniors took my knife."
He made this disclosure right after claiming that the journalists were not stabbed.
Describing the sequence of events leading to the attack, he said, "I was on my bicycle. There was some stuff on the footpath in front of the bdnews24.com's office building."
"As I asked the bdnews24.com staff to remove their stuff, one of them said, 'this is footpath, not road'. I had a heated argument with them. After that I called and informed my seniors about the incident."
Ruhul Amin of bdnews24.com was the man with whom Sourav had the argument in front of the building while keeping an eye on the office stuff kept outside to be shifted to the new location of the office.
On hearing shrieks of Ruhul Amin, journalists from the office had rushed to his aid and captured the assailant and informed police.
Angered at this, some more accomplices of the assailant from nearby areas, armed with sharp-edged weapons, swooped on the journalists.
Sourav claimed that he was captured and beaten up. After a while, his 'seniors' arrived on the scene, after which the attack took a new turn, culminating into stabbing of the journalists.
Meanwhile, speaking with the media, arrestee Ilias Master Sumon said, "I don't know anything about the incident. I've been framed."
The third arrestee, Mir Hossain, also pleaded innocence and denied any involvement in the attack.
DB ADC Masudur Rahman told reporters that police were investigating the reasons of the attack and whether any quarter was to benefit from the incident.
Earlier in the day, bdnews24.com's Human Resources Officer Shahidul Islam filed a case at the Banani Police Station against 15-20 unidentified people over the attack. Police said the trio was shown arrested in the case.
Injured Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin are still undergoing treatment at the United Hospital at Gulshan. However, doctors have already declared them out of danger.
Meanwhile, journalists across the country have demonstrated and held protest programmes against the attack.
He also admitted attacking the journalists and office staff of bdnews24.com on Monday night which left two journalists and one staff of the country's first internet-based newspaper seriously injured.
However, Awami Juba League General Secretary Mirza Azam has denied Sourav's claim. "His claim is false," Azam said.
The other two arrestees – Mir Hossain and Ilias Master Sumon – have, however, denied any connection with the incident.
Police presented the trio in front of the press on Tuesday afternoon at the Detective Branch headquarters of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police where Sourav admitted his involvement in the attack.
On Monday night, unidentified assailants stabbed bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat, Correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom and office staff Ruhul Amin with sharp weapons during an attack which left them with serious injuries.
Police detained the trio from different localities in Mohakhali in separate raids since Monday night until Tuesday afternoon.
DB Additional Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman told reporters, "Sourav was arrested in the morning from his residence in Mohakhali. We also have the names of those who were involved in the attack."
Home Minister Shahara Khatun on Monday night, while visiting the injured at the United Hospital, had said the attackers, whichever political party they are from, would not be spared.
Sourav told reporters that he is a member of the 'Ga unit' of Juba League. He is a Degree first-year student at Titumir College.
However, Mirza Azam told bdnews24.com, "According to the Constitution of Juba League, there is no such organisational infrastructure as 'Ga unit'."
Sourav said that police arrested him from his house at 69/2 at Sakaria Mosque lane at Mohakhali.
Although the injured – Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin – bore wounds from sharp-edged weapons, Sourav claimed that no one was stabbed during the clash.
Asked if they were not stabbed then where did stabbing injuries come from, Sourav said, "I don't know about any stabbing."
He also named three of his 'seniors' – Imran, Yakub and Saddam – involved in the attack.
He said two of them works at a private electronic products manufacturing firm, but could not give their designations at the firm.
Asked to name other members of the Juba League 'Ga unit', Sourav refrained from answering. But he said, "One of the seniors took my knife."
He made this disclosure right after claiming that the journalists were not stabbed.
Describing the sequence of events leading to the attack, he said, "I was on my bicycle. There was some stuff on the footpath in front of the bdnews24.com's office building."
"As I asked the bdnews24.com staff to remove their stuff, one of them said, 'this is footpath, not road'. I had a heated argument with them. After that I called and informed my seniors about the incident."
Ruhul Amin of bdnews24.com was the man with whom Sourav had the argument in front of the building while keeping an eye on the office stuff kept outside to be shifted to the new location of the office.
On hearing shrieks of Ruhul Amin, journalists from the office had rushed to his aid and captured the assailant and informed police.
Angered at this, some more accomplices of the assailant from nearby areas, armed with sharp-edged weapons, swooped on the journalists.
Sourav claimed that he was captured and beaten up. After a while, his 'seniors' arrived on the scene, after which the attack took a new turn, culminating into stabbing of the journalists.
Meanwhile, speaking with the media, arrestee Ilias Master Sumon said, "I don't know anything about the incident. I've been framed."
The third arrestee, Mir Hossain, also pleaded innocence and denied any involvement in the attack.
DB ADC Masudur Rahman told reporters that police were investigating the reasons of the attack and whether any quarter was to benefit from the incident.
Earlier in the day, bdnews24.com's Human Resources Officer Shahidul Islam filed a case at the Banani Police Station against 15-20 unidentified people over the attack. Police said the trio was shown arrested in the case.
Injured Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin are still undergoing treatment at the United Hospital at Gulshan. However, doctors have already declared them out of danger.
Meanwhile, journalists across the country have demonstrated and held protest programmes against the attack.