After a five-year long investigation, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police today pressed charges against 13 suspects, including sacked army major Syed Ziaul Haq who is considered the mastermind, in the case filed over the killing of blogger Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy in August 2015.

All suspects are members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam, also known as Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), said the investigation officer of the case. Zia, the military wing commander of the outfit, planned the murder that was executed on August 7, 2015, the IO added.

The other accused are, top ABT operatives Khairul Islam alias Fahim alias Jishan, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Abu Siddiq Sohel and Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, activists Masud Rana, Saad Al Nahiyan,Tarikul Islam, Kamal Hossain Sardar, Kawsar Hossain Khan, Mortuja Faisal Sabbir, Arafat Rahman Siam and Mufti Abdul Gaffar.

Earlier, twelve of them were arrested from different places across the country at different times.

The IO showed Zia as fugitive in the charge sheet of the case.

Khairul, Arafat, Abdullah, Sohel and Saimon are now in jail while the rest are on bail.

During the investigation, Khairul, Sohel and Abdullah gave confessional statements before magistrates on different dates.

According to their confessional statements, it was alleged that Masud Rana, Siam and Saimon took part in the killing as per direction of Zia.

Md Akhtaruzzaman, an inspector of Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime of DMP and also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

On August 7, 2015, blogger Niloy was hacked to death by a group of assailants at his rented flat on the 4th floor of a multistorey building in Goran.

Later, the victim's wife Asha Moni filed the murder case with Khilgaon Police Station against four miscreants.