In the attack against the Holey Artisan Bakery, 22 people were killed. Since the authorities carried out massive arrests, no more massacres of this magnitude have occurred. However, jihadi groups are reorganising. The leader of the JMB is operating out of Turkey via the web, especially targeting youth.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Eight years ago, at around 8.45 pm on 1 July 2016, an armed terrorist group stormed the Holey Artisan Bakey in Gulshan, sowing chaos and terror, resulting in the death of 22 people.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack, which saw its operatives take several people hostage, before all were killed in the rescue operation.
The sad anniversary provides an opportunity to remember that banned organisations in the country have not ceased been a threat, as Islamic extremism continues to cast its shadow over Bangladesh.
Islamist groups continue to recruit online, targeting mainly teenagers aged 18 to 20 as well as students and teachers in madrassas, this according to law enforcement sources.
The victims of the attack eight years ago included nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one American, two Bangladeshis and two police officers.
During the rescue operation, security forces killed six militants carried and saved 32 foreign nationals.
On this anniversary, officials from various diplomatic missions in Bangladesh honoured the victims of the attack against the restaurant located in a residential area of Dhaka. Catholic churches across the country prayed for the souls of the 22 victims.
Despite the passage of time, Bangladesh remains deeply scarred by that brutal event.
Investigators recently arrested five members of an organisation called As Shahadat in Cox's Bazar, explaining how militants manage to evade monitoring and communicate even from prison.
This is not an isolated case. Md. Asaduzzaman, Head of Bangladesh’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, as well as Deputy Police Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said that the Ansar Al Islam, an Islamist militant group still poses a threat today.
While its activities are monitored, a major challenge is the way they are present in cyberspace, using different applications.
Since 1 July 2016, the leaders of several banned organisations have been arrested one after another and several leaders have been killed. About 4,000 militiamen have been arrested in recent years.
According to sources in the CTTC unit and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB),[*] the leader of the Jama'at Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Mahadi Hasan John, is conducting organisational activities online from Turkey, targeting youth who are more easily influenced by misrepresentations.
Secret meetings were also held at various times in religious facilities, homes, and other places.
Last Thursday, the RAB arrested three active members of the banned Ansar Al Islam militant group in Choufaldandi.
[*] The anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police.