Attackers had no intl link, says minister
Noting that all the militants who took part in the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan were Bangladeshis and they had no any international link, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said yesterday. All the militants, who were killed in the operation, are Bangladeshis, not foreigners. I dont think they had any connection with foreigners. They were born and brought up in Bangladesh and they used to carry out such (militant) activities at the advice of local people, he said. The minister made the comments while talking to reporters after visiting the injured policemen at United Hospital. The minister said the parents of all of them are in Bangladesh. Perhaps their parents had been looking for them. They didnt know that their sons had been involved in militant outfits. Now, theyve come to know about it, he said. Narrating the hostage episode, he said police rushed to the spot within five minutes after the militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery. They swung into action as part of their responsibility. But, they came under attack while cordoning off the hotel, he said. Later, the hostage crisis ended with a commando operation, he said.
Earlier on Friday evening, seven gunmen entered the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe and opened fire and took around 40 people, including restaurant staff and guests both locals and foreigners hostage. Thirteen people, including three foreigners, were rescued while 20 bodies of the hostages were recovered from the restaurant after a successful operation codenamed Thunderbolt.
Six of the seven gunmen were killed and one suspected militant was arrested during the drive.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque yesterday said the five militants whose identities have been made public after the Gulshan restaurant attack, have links with the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The IGP came up with the information while talking to reporters after visiting two injured police constables-Alamgir and Kabir injured in the Gulshan attack, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon.
The attackers whose images were published were involved in militant activities and their identities were found. Police are working to dig out more information, he said.
Earlier on Saturday, security forces recovered the bodies of 20 foreign nationals launching a commando operation at a caf at the citys Gulshan when six attackers and two policemen were also killed after terrorists held hostage a good number of people in it.
Thirteen people, including a Japanese citizen and two Sri Lankan nationals, were rescued during the drive.
Police headquarters disclosed the names of the deadly attackers on Saturday night.
Among the six attackers, five were identified as Akash, Bikash, Don, Badhon and Ripon while identity of the rest one could not be confirmed.
