Gunmen take hostages in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka

- BBC News


Image caption Witnesses described a gun battle between security forces and the attackers

Gunmen have stormed a popular cafe in the diplomatic area of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, taking hostages, officials say.

Several foreigners are among those being held by eight or nine men in the city's Gulshan district, they add.

A gun battle between the attackers and police wounded three people, including two officers.

Police and security forces have sealed off the area and are trying to negotiate the hostages's release.

"Some derailed youths have entered the restaurant and launched the attack," Benazir Ahmed, chief of Bangladesh's elite police force, said.

"We want to resolve this peacefully. We are trying to talk to the attackers... Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside."

Local media reported that several gunmen had entered the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe and opened fire.

The cafe is described as being popular with expatriates, diplomats and middle-class families.

It is not clear who the attackers are, although a police officer told the BBC that Islamic militants were suspected.

Media reports quoted witnesses as saying that "Allahu Akbar", meaning "God is greatest", was heard as the attack took place.

BBC South Asia editor Jill McGivering says that although high-profile gun attacks are rare in Bangladesh, the latest incident follows a series of murders widely blamed on Islamist extremists.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36687616/

nytimes.com

Gunmen Seize Hostages and Detonate Explosives in Dhaka Restaurant

Gunmen detonated explosives and took a number of people hostage at a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, setting off a bloody standoff with the police on Friday night in the capital’s diplomatic zone.

Witnesses took to Twitter to report hearing gunfire, and posted images of armed paramilitary officers surrounding the restaurant, the Holey Artisan Bakery, which is said to be popular with expatriates, diplomats and middle-class families. It is in the city’s Gulshan neighborhood.

#Breaking: Dozens of hostages taken in restaurant in diplomatic zone in Bangladesh https://t.co/xuXfxycNrP pic.twitter.com/w6IVAVFSLT

— WIS News 10 (@wis10) July 1, 2016

Local media reported that as many as 10 police officers had been shot in the standoff, and television stations broadcast footage of bloodied officers being carried on stretchers from the scene.

The total number of hostages, some of whom are believed to be citizens of Western nations, was not known. Neither were the number or identities of the attackers.

“We are requesting the ones who are inside the restaurant to talk to us, relay us your demands,” said Benazir Ahmed, the director-general of the Rapid Action Battalion, the country’s counterterrorism force, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

The United States State Department alerted American citizens in the area to the reports of shooting and a hostage situation, and advised them to “shelter in place and monitor news.”

“The situation’s ongoing, obviously — too early for us to say who’s involved, motivation, any of that stuff, it’s all still unfolding right now,” said John Kirby, the State Department spokesman.

Mr. Kirby said all American citizens working for the United States mission in Dhaka were safe and accounted for, but officials were still working to account for Bangladeshi employees.

Sumon Reza, a kitchen worker at the restaurant who escaped, told The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, that several armed men entered the restaurant around 8:45 p.m. and took hostages.

“They blasted several crude bombs, causing wide-scale panic among everyone,” was quoted as saying. “I managed to flee during this confusion.”

Mr. Reza said the attackers were armed with pistols, swords and bombs and shouted “God is great” before detonating their explosives, the newspaper said.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/world/asia/attackers-seize-hostages-and-detonate-explosives-in-bangladesh-restaurant.html?referer=/

another failed nation!

My heart goes out to Bangladeshi.

First homosexuals were hacked to death.
Then Monks (Hindu), were slaughterer.
Then R.C. Priests were beheaded & Nuns kidnapped & some beheaded. And the church & house burned.
( All within the last 2-3 months)

Population is, NOW, (by any means) 98% Islamic.


*Threads are out here somewhere *

"Some derailed youths have entered the restaurant and launched the attack," Benazir Ahmed, chief of Bangladesh's elite police force, said.

"We want to resolve this peacefully. We are trying to talk to the attackers... Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside."


It's TOO late to end this PEACEFULLY.....I'm starting to think some of the people who are supposed to protect people are more deranged in their thinking than the terrorists.

That restaurant now has a new name...

Aloha Snack Bar

ISIS claims responsiblity after attackers seize hostages in attack on Bangladesh restaurant







http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/01/hostages-reported-in-attack-in-restaurant-in-bangladesh-capital.html?intcmp=hpbt1/


DEVELOPING: Up to nine attackers shouting "Allahu Akbar" stormed a popular restaurant in Dacca, Bangladesh Friday, taking hostages and setting off bombs in a siege claimed by ISIS.

The Islamic State's Amaq News Agency said the attack on the restaurant was carried out by "Islamic State commandos," according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadist activity.

Reports of shooting and hostage situation in Gulshan 2, Dhaka. Please shelter in place and monitor news.
— U.S. Embassy Dhaka (@usembassydhaka) July 1, 2016

Bangladesh TV stations reported that the attackers entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan area around 9:20 p.m. Friday and were holding customers and staff hostage.

There was no immediate casualty count. However, police told the Associated Press two officers were killed by the attackers.

In addition, hospital authorities said another 25 officers and one civilian were being treated for injuries, including 10 people listed in critical condition, the Associated Press reported. The injuries include bullet wounds and broken bones, the hospital officials said.

.@statedeptspox Kirby provides update on apparent hostage situation in #Dhaka, #Bangladesh https://t.co/CgwWuU2aUl
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 1, 2016

The exact number of hostages also was not known. While some reports said there could be up to 60, others put the figure lower.

Italian state TV, quoting the Italian ambassador to Bangladesh, said seven Italians were among the hostages, Reuters reported.

The U.S. State Department said all Americans working at the U.S. mission in the area had been accounted for, according to Reuters.

"We have accounted for all Americans working for the chief of mission authority" in Dhaka, John Kirby, a State Department spokesman said. He called the situation "fluid."

The reports say a huge contingent of security guards cordoned off the area and the restaurant as they traded gunfire with the attackers who set off explosions.

Jamuna Television reported, quoting a kitchen staff worker at the restaurant who escaped the attack, said that the gunmen chanted "Allahu Akbar" as they launched the attack.

Sumon Reza, the worker, told The Daily Star that several armed men entered the restaurant and took hostages.

“They blasted several crude bombs, causing wide-scale panic among everyone.”

Benazir Ahmed, director general of the elite anti-crime force Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, told reporters that security forces were working to save the lives of the people trapped inside. Several foreigners are believed to be among the hostages.

"Some derailed youths have entered the restaurant and launched the attack. We have talked to some of the people who fled the restaurant after the attack. We want to resolve this peacefully. We are trying to talk to the attackers, we want to listen to them about what they want," Ahmed said.

"Some of our people have been injured. Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside.," he said. He would not confirm the number of those trapped inside.

Earlier this month, authorities in the country rounded up about 1,600 criminal suspects, including a few dozen believed to be Islamist radicals, in a nationwide crackdown aimed at halting a wave of brutal attacks on minorities and activists.

Only 37 of them were suspected to be radical Islamist militants, according to authorities. Those include three charged with alleged membership in the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

The country saw a significant increase in terrorist attacks in 2015, as groups including ISIS and Al Qaeda targeted foreigners, religious minorities, police, secular bloggers and publishers. ISIS last November called for attacks in Bangladesh in an article in its online magazine, Dabiq.

A police official tells the Associated Press that at least 6 Islamist militants and others have been captured following an operation to rescue hostages from an upscale restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of the country’s capital, Dhaka. The official said there was casualties among the hostages, but did not give specific numbers.

http://bigstory.ap.org/631cff7370dc467782ef5b5fc4aeed56&utm_source=android_app&utm_medium=messaging&utm_campaign=share

That JV team at it again....

Oh, and OP, I Loretta Lynched that quote for ya

20 hostages killed, 13 saved in Bangladesh restaurant attack:

http://bigstory.ap.org/631cff7370dc467782ef5b5fc4aeed56&utm_source=android_app&utm_medium=messaging&utm_campaign=share /

The Latest: 2 Emory University students killed in Bangladesh:

http://bigstory.ap.org/5a98600d35fc4e7caedd82bc025bb1f6&utm_source=android_app&utm_medium=messaging&utm_campaign=share/