British engineer ‘used as a human shield’ by ISIS in Bangladesh cafe bloodbath is held over attack that killed 22 people
'Hero' Hasnat Karim scooped along with Toronto-based student as police say they acted 'suspiciously' during seige
A BRIT engineer arrested in connection to the Bangladesh cafe attack that left 20 hostages and two policemen dead is a "hero" who saved eight people, it has been claimed.
Police confirmed that Hasnat Karim, a Bangladesh-born British citizen, was arrested on Wednesday night and is being held in the capital Dhaka.
But his family have said he has been secretly held by the security services since the attack last month.
Rodney Dixon, Karim's London-based lawyer, said he was being held without charge and without evidence.
"The authorities have finally admitted that Mr Karim is in their custody," Mr Dixon said in a statement.
"They have had more than sufficient time to make any inquiries.
"There is clearly no evidence to charge him and he should be let go without any further delay."
The 47-year-old had been a lecturer at the city's private North-South University, where two of the five attackers studied.
He was arrested along with Tahmid Khan, a student at the University of Toronto who was home in Bangladesh during his summer break.
Both were in the Holey Artisan Bakery when armed ISIS fanatics raided the premises on the night of July 1.
Karim, who most recently was a director at his father's engineering company in Dhaka, was at the cafe with his wife celebrating their daughter's 13th birthday, his family said.
Police claim he and Khan, 22, acted suspiciously during the siege, with Khan allegedly seen holding a gun.
National police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque said on Tuesday their "behaviour and actions" were questionable.
The attackers took mainly Western diners hostage before killing 20 of them along with two policemen.
Most of the hostages were hacked to death with machetes in the terrorist bloodbath.
Karim's family have also said he was used as a "human shield" during the standoff.
His father Rezaul said: "My son was a hero. He saved the life of at least eight people during the siege.
"I know him. He is innocent."
But Police have denied that Karim or Khan were being held by authorities before Thursday, saying the pair were arrested in separate places.
Footage taken of the rescue operation captured the sound of intense gunfire coming from the cafe.
The gunmen allegedly told Karim to call a relative during the lockdown and released him and his family before elite Rapid Action Battalion officers entered the cafe.
Witnesses of the atrocity have said the attackers didn't harm anyone who could recite the Koran.
Both Karim and Khan have been remanded in custody for eight days.
Dhaka police have named Canadian national Tamim Cowdhury as the mastermind of the attack.
They have offered $25,000 (£19,000) for information that leads to his capture.
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