Seven militants who killed 20 people at a restaurant in Dhaka were Bangladeshi and authorities had tried before to arrest five of them, police said, as investigators probed for possible links with international Muslim extremist groups.
The attackers stormed the upmarket restaurant in the diplomatic zone late on Friday, before killing non-Muslim hostages, including at least nine Italians, seven Japanese and an American.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, warning citizens of “crusader countries” that their citizens would not be safe “as long as their aircraft are killing Muslims,” the group said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
It also posted pictures of five fighters grinning in front of a black flag, who it said were involved in the attack, according to the SITE monitoring Web site.
The claims have not been confirmed, but Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters late on Saturday that neither the Islamic State group nor al-Qaeda were involved.
“This was done by JMB,” Khan said, referring to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which claims to represent the Islamic State group in Bangladesh.
However, Bangladeshi Deputy Inspector General of Police Shahidur Rahman, yesterday told reporters that authorities were investigating any connection between the attackers and trans-national groups such as the Islamic State group or al-Qaeda.
He said the militants were mostly educated and from rich families, but declined to give any more details.
Bangladeshi Inspector General of Police Shahidul Hoque said all the attackers were Bangladeshi.
“Five of them were listed as militants and law enforcers made several drives to arrest them,” Hoque told reporters in Dhaka late on Saturday.
Whoever was responsible, the attack marked a major escalation in violence by militants who have demanded Islamic rule in Bangladesh.
During the attack, the attackers singled out foreigners as soon as they stormed through the doors of the restaurant popular with expatriates.
They ordered all Bangladeshis to stand up before the killing began, a source briefed on the investigation said.
The Bangladeshis were later told to close their eyes and recite verses from the Koran and one militant cursed at a Bangladeshi for eating with non-Muslims during Ramadan, the source said.
The Islamic State-affiliated Amaq news agency claimed in a report on Saturday the militants identified and released Muslim patrons from the Dhaka restaurant, SITE said.
The victims also included at least three Bangladeshis or people of Bangladeshi descent.
The militants hacked most of their victims with machetes, leaving their bodies to bleed over the floor.
A 12-hour standoff with security forces ended when about 100 commandos stormed the building, killing six of the militants and capturing a seventh after attempts at negotiations proved fruitless, authorities said. They recovered explosives and sharp weapons from the scene.
It was not clear if the attackers had made any demands.
The seven Japanese killed were working on projects involving the Japan International Cooperation Agency, an overseas aid agency, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday.
Six of them were in Dhaka to work on a metrorail project, Bangladeshi Minister of Communications Obaidul Quader said.
Italian media said several of the Italians victims worked in Bangladesh’s US$26 billion garment sector, which accounts for 80 percent of its exports.
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