Hostage crisis as cops, criminals face off in Gulshan

Police and suspected criminals are trading gunfire in Gulshan diplomatic zone. Several people including foreign nationals are believed to be held hostage.

According to intelligence gathered by our correspondent at spot, about five assailants entered one Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant on Road 79 and opened gunfire around 9:20pm.

Huge number of policemen and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members cordoned off the restaurant. Assailants were hurling bombs when this report was filed around 10:46pm.

Several people including policemen are believed to have been shot at scene. Televisions were covering the incident live and showed some people shot.

ARMED ASSAILANTS TOOK CHEF HOSTAGE: WITNESS

Sumon Reza, a kitchen staff of Holey Artisan Bakery, who managed to escape, said several armed assailants entered the restaurant around 8:45pm and took the chief chef hostage.

“They blasted several crude bombs causing wide-scale panic among everyone. I managed to flee during this confusion,” he said. “They came armed with pistols, swords and bombs.”

“They shouted Allah hu Akbar before blasting the bombs,” he said.

Source: thedailystar