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2016 Gulshan attack
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2016) |
| 2016 Gulshan attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Internal conflict in Bangladesh | |
Location of the attack within Dhaka
|
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| Location | Road No 79, House 5, Gulshan 2 Holey Artisan Bakery, Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Date | 1–2 July 2016 9:20 p.m. – 8:30 a.m. (BST, UTC+06:00) |
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Attack type
|
Mass shooting, bombing, hostage-taking |
| Weapons | Firearms, IEDs, sword[1] |
| Deaths | 30 (22 civilians, 6 attackers, 2 policemen)[2][3] |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
50[4] |
| Victims | 20–60 hostages[3][5][6] |
| Assailants |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant[3] |
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Suspected perpetrators
|
 Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent[7] |
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Number of participants
|
7 |
Contents
Background
Bangladesh, having a population of 171 million, is a lower middle income country with a GDP per capita income of $1,284 per year. The country suffers from poor governance, corruption, and weak public institutions which have been victimized by political instability since gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971. The controversial Bangladeshi general election, 2014, and the execution of "war criminals" from the Bangladesh Liberation War have led to polarization within Bangladeshi society. Since 2013, the country has experienced an increase in Islamist attacks on religious minorities, secularist and atheist writers and bloggers, LGBT rights activists, and non-radical Muslims. Since September 2015, there have been over 30 such attacks, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for 21 of them.[11] Gulshan is a relatively wealthy neighborhood of Dhaka and is home to many foreign embassies.[6]Attack and rescue
The attack started at about 9:20 p.m. local time.[12] At least nine attackers entered the restaurant armed with bombs, guns and one attacker had a sword. They opened fire and detonated several of the bombs before taking many hostages, almost all foreigners. They engaged in shootouts with police, injuring several policemen, two of whom have died. Police cordoned off the area around the restaurant and planned a rescue raid.[5]The hostage takers made three demands during the crisis:[13]
- The leader of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Khaled Saifullah, should be released.
- The hostage takers are allowed to leave safely.
- The hostage takers' mission to establish their extremist interpretation of Islam should be recognized.
Commando units from the Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guards, Police, Rapid Action Battalion, and joint forces started the rescue operation at 7:40 am local time.[14] 13 hostages were rescued alive by them. Six of the attackers were killed in a gunfight with the commandos. One of the attackers was captured alive.[15]
The Daily Kaler Kantho reported that the militant group Ansar al-Islam announced the upcoming attack via a tweet almost 10 hours before the actual attack took place.[16]
Casualties
Twenty civilians, six gunmen and two police officers were confirmed killed, while 50 others, mostly police personnel, were injured.[17][4] The dead include two police officers including an Assistant Commissioner of Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the officer-in-charge of the nearby Banani police station.[18][19] Japanese and Italian citizens are among the victims.[5] A 19-year-old female of Indian nationality was killed.[20] The Bangladesh Army announced that all 20 hostages killed in the attack were foreigners, and that they were "killed brutally with sharp weapons" by the perpetrators.[17] Those who could recite a verse from the Quran from memory were spared in an effort to only kill non-Muslims.[21][22]Among the victims were seven Japanese citizens – five men and two women – who were associated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency.[23]
| Country | Number |
|---|---|
 Italy |
9 |
 Japan |
7[23] |
 Bangladesh |
5[3] |
 India |
1[2] |
| Total | 22 |
Responsibility
The Amaq News Agency, which is affiliated to the self-proclaimed ISIL, says the group claimed responsibility for the attack and claims twenty deaths.[24] According to CNN, however, the government denies that ISIL exists in the country.[7] The U.S. State Department stated that a link between ISIL and the attack could not be confirmed yet.[25] CNN reported that a U.S. official close to the investigation suggested—based on preliminary analysis—that "it is more likely that al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent is conducting this attack" and not ISIL.[7]Reactions
- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
condemned the killings and hostage crisis and assured that the
government will do everything to restraint militancy and extremism in
the country.[26] President Abdul Hamid also condemned the terrorist attack and expressed deep shock at the death of the hostages and police officials.[27]
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and said, “The attack in Dhaka has pained us beyond words.”[28]
- Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi offered condolences to the families of the victims saying "Our values are stronger than hatred and terror."[29] He also said that the nation had suffered "a painful loss."[30]
Pope Francis condemned the killings and said such attack is an "offense against God and humanity."[31]- Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
commanded the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh to rescue the Japanese
alive from the crisis, labeling the incident as “unfortunate”.[32] Some other Japanese government officials and agencies including Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Japan International Cooperation Agency expressed their concern over the incident and condemned the killings.[33]
References
- "Gulshan attack: Japan PM Abe assures co-operation to battle terrorism". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
External links
Worker who escaped reported gunmen shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as they fired
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