Gunmen in Bangladesh Open Fire, Take Hostages at Restaurant

Hostage situation unfolds at Holey Artisan Bakery in diplomatic enclave

Police in Bangladesh say gunmen have attacked a restaurant in the diplomatic zone of the capital, Dhaka, and taken hostages.

The U.S. State Department confirmed on Twitter that a hostage situation is taking place at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic enclave. It urged people to shelter in place and monitor the news.

Witnesses say several gunmen entered the restaurant in the upscale Gulshan area around 9:20 p.m. local time Friday.An unknown number of people are still trapped inside.

Local media say police have cordoned off the area around the restaurant and are exchanging gunfire with the attackers who are setting off explosives.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said all Americans working at the U.S. mission in Dhaka have been accounted for.

Bangladesh has seen a series of attacks in recent months, mostly targeting bloggers, atheists and religious minorities. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks.

On Thursday, the United States declared AQIS a “foreign terrorist organization” and called its leader, Asim Umar, a “specially designated global terrorist.”

The State Department said the terrorist designations are meant to prohibit Americans from engaging in any transactions with the group or Umar.  The designations also freeze any assets or property under U.S. jurisdiction that are tied to Umar or AQIS.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the formation of the group on the Indian subcontinent in 2014 and Umar has appeared in al-Qaida publications as the leader of the Indian offshoot.  Umar is believed to be based in Pakistan but was born in the mid-1970's in India.

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