“This will repeat, repeat and repeat until you lose and we win and the Shariah is established throughout the world”, said a man identified as Bangladeshi fighter Abu Issa al-Bengali in the video monitored by SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadi organisations.
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Gunmen stormed the restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone late on Friday and killed 20 people, majority foreigners from Italy, Japan, India and the United States, in an assault claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Police have eight people in custody, including one described as an attacker, but no one has been formally arrested as a suspect.
However, Bangladesh refuted IS’ claim of responsibility, saying the attack was perpetrated by a homegrown militant group.
The terror group since September a year ago has claimed responsibilities for at least 25 attacks killing foreigners, non-Muslim and non-Sunni preachers and police.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Tuesday said the country hopes to receive support from the global community in its fight against terrorism and extremism.
The SITE Intelligence Group said the footage was taken in Raqqa, the so-called capital of Islamic caliphate run by the Islamic State.
The police officer said parents and relatives of the five men were questioned Tuesday and some again on Wednesday. “He did not start going to the mosque suddenly”, he said.
“We have seen the footage and the experts are examining it”, police spokesperson Masudur Rahman said.
Police said they were stepping up security in response to the video threat.
Witnesses said several smartly dressed men in their 20s, all of whom were believed to be Bangladeshi, entered the restaurant with a burst of gunfire.
While it’s unclear whether the attack was carried out by local extremists or those affiliated with the terrorist group Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, fears about the violence is keeping retail and manufacturing officials away from the country and could lead many to reconsider sourcing their goods there. In a 50-minutes-long operation, the army rescued 13 hostages.
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Police killed six of the attackers when they regained control of the restaurant, 12-hours after the attack began. More than two dozen of the attacks were claimed by Islamic State or Al Qaeda. The Bangladeshi government has blamed the violence on homegrown Islamist radicals and has downplayed the threat that they could be inspired by worldwide organizations like Islamic State.
