News Digest

Chef in Dhaka restaurant siege mistaken for terrorist and shot dead

Police in Bangladesh have said they may have shot dead one of the hostages at a Dhaka cafe after mistaking him for an attacker. Saiful Islam Chowkidar, a chef making pizzas at the Holey Artisan Bakery, was among six men killed when officers stormed the restaurant to bring the 12-hour siege to an end. At least 20 hostages were killed during the terror attack, which Islamic State has claimed responsibility for. Even though the militant group has released photos of five fighters it claims carried out the shootings, Bangladesh’s home minister has denied IS were involved.

A majority of the boys who attacked the restaurant came from very good educational institutions.

Bangladeshi information minister Hasanul Haq Inu

Authorities believe the gunmen were “highly educated” and from “well-off families”. Posts on Facebook identified the men, who appeared smiling in front of a black flag, as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Andaleeb Ahmed and Raiyan Minhaj. Most went to elite schools in Bangladesh and Malaysia and were from wealthy families. Bangladeshi information minister Hasanul Haq Inu told India’s NDTV: “Some went to sophisticated schools. Their families are relatively well-to-do people.” Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told AFP: “They are all highly educated young men and from well-off families.” Asked why they would have become jihadists, Mr Khan responded: “It has become a fashion.”