Italy PM condemns Dhaka attack, confirms Italians were killed
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Bangladeshi police officers take cover as a man lies on the ground near the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant during an attack by gunmen in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 1, 2016. (AFP)
Italy condemns the attack in the Bangladeshi capital, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi confirming Italian nationals were killed in the hostage-taking incident.
According to the reports, Renzi said Saturday he will not disclose details on the matter until the families of the dead are notified.
Earlier, the Bangladeshi army said 20 civilians, all of them foreigners, had been killed by gunmen linked to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group at a cafe in Dhaka.
“We’ve recovered 20 bodies. Most [of] them had been brutally hacked to death with sharp weapons” at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury told reporters.
Late on Friday, a group of armed men attacked the upscale cafe in the diplomatic area of the Bangladeshi capital at about 9:20 p.m. local time (1320 GMT), setting off explosives and taking a number of people hostage. Police said eight to nine gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades were holed up inside.
Several hours later, police forces managed to enter the place to free the hostages. Two officers lost their lives in the clashes.
Officials in Rome said at least seven Italians had been held hostage inside the cafe. Unconfirmed media reports, however, said ten were taken hostage.
Police declared in the early hours of Saturday the end to the 12-hour siege and said the cafe was free of gunmen. Six attackers were killed and another arrested alive during the operation.
SS
