Bangladesh observes third anniversary of Holey Artisan attack today

The third anniversary of the Holey Artisan cafe attack, the deadliest militant attack in the country's history which claimed 22 lives, is being observed on Monday.

Relatives and those close to the victims at home and abroad are observing the day paying respects to them.

Five armed militants carried out the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan in the evening of July 1, 2016. They initially took the people inside the café hostage before killing many of them.

The victims included nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladesh-born American, and two Bangladeshis.

Besides, two police officers were also killed during the attack, according to a UNB report.

Thirteen people, including three foreigners, were rescued while 20 bodies of the hostages were recovered from the restaurant after a successful operation led by the 1st Para-commando Battalion, an elite force in the Bangladesh Army, the following morning (July 2). Five militants and one restaurant staff were killed and one suspected militant was arrested during the drive.

A case was filed with Gulshan police station in connection with one of the deadliest terror attacks ever in the country.

Later, the case was transferred to the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

On July 23,2018, police pressed charges against eight people in the sensational case.

Twenty-one people were identified behind the attack. Among them, 13 people were killed in gunfights at different times, said Monirul Islam, chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit at a news briefing at the DMP headquarters.

Among the eight people, he said, six are now in jail and the remaining two are absconding.

The six people are Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, Rakibul Hasan Rigan, Rashidul Islam alias Ryash, Sohel Mahfuz, Mizanur Rahman alias Chhoto Mizan, and Hadisur Rahman Sagor