The government has consistently ruled out the presence of the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority nation though experts have been maintaining that series of brutal attacks on minorities and secular activists had the hallmarks of ISIS group.
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Bangladeshi policemen clear out an area to facilitate action against heavily armed militants who struck at the heart of Bangladesh’s diplomatic zone on Friday night, taking dozens of hostages at a restaurant popular with foreigners.
Police chief Shahidul Hoque said investigators will explore the possibility of “an worldwide link”, but added “primarily, we suspect they are JMB members”.
A relative of a police officer, killed in a standoff with heavily armed militants, sits inside a vehicle near the site of attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, July 2, 2016.
Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the attackers, who were armed with sharpened weapons and firearms, were not linked to the Islamic State militant group, which has claimed the assault. All the attackers were Bangladeshis and five of them were wanted by police.
Within few hours of the siege the Islamic State through their Amaq News Agency claimed responsibility for the attack. Two police officers were killed by the attackers, and 13 people were rescued when commandos stormed the restaurant Saturday morning.
“Anyone who believes in religion can not do such an act”, Ms Hasina said on Saturday.
The gunmen, shouting “Allahu Akbar”, slaughtered those who were unable to recite the Quran, said rescued hostages.
Hossain Toufique Imam, the political advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said that the way in which the hostages were killed with machetes suggests the role of a local terrorist group, the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
Meanwhile, the United States government said one of its citizens was among those killed in a militant attack in Bangladesh.The White House also condemned the attack and offered any assistance necessary. Those who failed were tortured and slain.
Western embassies issued travel warnings to their citizens, advising those in the country to be vigilant and avoid places frequented by foreigners in the diplomatic zone.
Italians and Americans were also among the victims of the attack, which could damage the confidence of the expatriate community in Bangladesh, many of whom work for multinationals in the country’s $26 billion garment industry.
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“Let the people of the crusader countries know that there is no safety for them as long as their aircraft are killing Muslims”, Islamic State said in a statement, also posting pictures of five fighters it said were involved in the attack.
