8th anniversary of Holey Artisan attack
Foreign secy, envoys pay tribute
Tuesday, 2 July 2024
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and envoys of India, the United States, Japan and Italy paid tribute to the victims of July 01, 2016 terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery, reports UNB.
The 8th anniversary of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, the deadliest terror incident in the country's history that saw 22 people killed, was being commemorated on Monday.
Diplomats including Ambassador of Italy Antonio Alessandro, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori paid tribute to the victims of Holey Artisan attack through the deposition of floral wreaths.
Representatives of the families of the victims and victims' friends from the expatriate community in Dhaka were also present.
The majority of the victims were foreigners residing in or visiting the capital's diplomatic quarter in Gulshan-Baridhara.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman also paid tribute to the victims.
Bdnews24.com adds: the state will decide on its next steps in the case over the terrorist attack on Holey Artisan Bakery eight years ago after receiving the full copy of the High Court (HC) verdict, said Attorney General AM Amin Uddin.
"The honourable HC Division reduced the death sentences for the convicts and instead ordered them to be jailed until death. We have yet to receive the main copy of the judgment. Once we receive it, we will speak to the related state authorities and decide the next steps," the attorney general said on Sunday.
A group of young Islamist militants carried out a terrorist attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, a trendy eatery popular with foreigners, on Jul 1, 2016, amid a surge in extremism across the globe.
It forced Bangladesh, built on secular ideals, to divert huge resources and efforts to tackle terrorism.
Five young attackers, armed with pistols, sub-machine guns, sharp weapons, and grenades, stormed into the cafe around 8:45pm and started an overnight siege.