Sumon Hossain Shihab, who was arrested in connection with the murder attempt on publisher Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, today “confessed” before a Dhaka court that he was among the six who directly took part in the attack, court sources said.

The photographs of the six were released by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on May 19, declaring bounties on their heads.

On June 16, police arrested Shihab, an alleged operative of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

Inspector Bahauddin of Detective Branch (DB) today produced Sumon Hossain Patwari alias Shihab, 20, before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ahsan Habib.

During the recording of the statement, Shihab said they attacked Tutul to kill him but they fled after injuring the publisher, court sources said.

They were involved in the killings of bloggers, writers and an LGBT rights activist, police said adding that Tk 2 lakh bounty was on Shihab.

On October 31 last year, Tutul and two bloggers--Ranadipam Basu and Tareque Rahim-- came under a machete attack at the Lalmatia office of Shuddhoswar. Tareque was also shot in the chest.

The trio survived the attack after receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

On the same day, another publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan of Jagriti Prokashani was stabbed to death inside his office at Aziz Super market in Shahbagh.