DHAKA – The gunmen who attacked a restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic area were members of a Bangladeshi extremist group and not followers of Islamic State (IS), the Bangladeshi home minister said on Sunday, putting to rest speculation about the global terror groups self-proclaimed involvement in the deadly siege.
According to Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, “They are members of the Jamaeytul Mujahedeen Bangladesh,” a group which has been banned in Bangladesh for more than a decade. “They have no connections with the Islamic State,” he clarified.
Earlier, IS had claimed responsibility for the assassination of the hostages and two police officers during the 11-hour siege.
However, the government has categorically denied that international jihadist groups are working in Bangladesh.
Police have released the names and photos of six of the attackers who were shot at the end of the siege. A seventh suspected was arrested and is being interrogated by Bangladeshi intelligence officers.
The Home Minister said that all of the attackers were well-educated and came from mostly wealthy families.
“They are all highly educated young men and went to university. No one is from a madrassa,” the minister said.
