The gunmen, who stormed the busy restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic area late on Friday night, ordered all Bangladeshis to stand up before they began killing foreigners, a source briefed on the police investigation said.
Islamist militants killed 20 people, including at least nine Italians, seven Japanese and an American, inside an upmarket restaurant in Bangladesh's capital, before security forces stormed the building and ended a 12-hour standoff on Saturday. According to Reuters, Islamic State said it was responsible for one of the most brazen attacks in the South Asian nation's history, but that claim has yet to be confirmed.
The gunmen, who stormed the busy restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic area late on Friday night, ordered all Bangladeshis to stand up before they began killing foreigners, a source briefed on the police investigation said.
Nine Italians were killed in the attack, the country's foreign minister said, and authorities were trying to confirm the fate of another person missing.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said seven of its citizens had been confirmed dead in the attack, while one Indian, a 19 year-old female student, was killed in the assault, India's foreign minister said on Twitter.
Emory University in Atlanta said in a statement that two of its students were among hostages who were killed. Abinta Kabir, from Miami, was an undergraduate at Emory's Oxford College, and Faraaz Hossain, who was from Dhaka, was an undergraduate student at the university's Goizueta Business School, Emory said.
The U.S. State Department confirmed one of those killed was a U.S. citizen but did not identify the person. The department said in a statement it was in close contact with the Bangladesh government and had offered to help with the investigation.
Thirteen hostages were rescued, including one Japanese and two Sri Lankans, the army said.
UNWTO strongly condemns hideous attack in Dhaka
UNWTO strongly condemns the hideous attack perpetrated yesterday in a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of the victims.
"It was with great sorrow that we learned about this tragic news. We express our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the victims at this difficult moment” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. "This is not an attack on Bangladesh but is once again an attack on our way of life, an attack on freedom", he added.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
