Black Friday : Beginning of Racism Attacks
BLACK FRIDAY: Beginning of Racism Attacks
Sirens were very loud. They were told not to do this act. It was radioed to them, but they couldn’t care less. Maybe it was around 11 pm, I thought so. I heard my Mother angrily talking with my Father. I can guess why. Unfortunately, Father couldn’t even do anything about it. He knew it would happen. After all, It’s an occupational hazard in the end.
I stepped out of my room. It’s a mess. I have never seen him this way, he’s anxious. And there were many operators in fully armored suits with their gear and weapons in the front gate. Up to now for the fellas who are wondering what is going on here, my father was in the Navy and used to serve in the Intelligence and Special Operations of Bangladesh Armed Forces. And it was in the month of Ramadan. So, our family was taking a short nap before Sehri time, but we were then woken up by my father’s associates. They were ordered to escort my father to the Prime Minister’s office at that very moment. Terrorists launched one of the deadliest Islamist attacks ever in Bangladesh's history in the heart of Dhaka, holding more than 27 hostages (including Foreigners) in Holey Artisan Bakery, Gulshan. The government was planning Rescue Operations and assault to eliminate the terrorists, and they needed my father to help the Joint Armed Forces coordinate the attack with them.
At that time, one of my Cousins Abinta Kabir was also one of the hostages trapped at the site. Our whole family was distraught and it was chaos. It was her first time in Bangladesh after she graduated from Emory University with her Boyfriend Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain. We all planned to hang out a few hours ago with her via phone call. And then they were hostage and had no contact with anyone at that moment. Aunty was doing her best to stay strong for her. They even offered all of their business and wealth in exchange for releasing her daughter. But it was late. The Islamist terrorists were blinded by racism so much that they executed every non-Muslim or foreigner brutally beheading them with machetes. National TV and other national and international media outlets started to call it 7/16 or Black Friday. Reports and Breaking News started to broadcast news everywhere and some journalists tried to go live for Publicity—and All Hell Broke Loose.
The Holey Artisan Bakery was attacked by 5 militants at 21:20 local time with High Ordinances, Explosives, Heavy Guns, Pistols and Machetes. Panicked employees and customers started to take shelter during the chaos. An Argentinian-Italian Chef named Diego Rosinni led some of the hostages and was able to escape by jumping to the nearby building’s rooftop. Staff on the 2nd Floor ran and hid in the washroom. 8 staff members were hiding, and it was cramped. The Attackers went to the door and shouted, “Bengali People, Come Out, If you are Muslims, Come Out!!”. As there was no response or movement, the gunmen thought it was empty and locked the room. Now Trapped staff is texting and begging their loved ones to save them. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Dispatch and Communications Department was getting flooded with 999 calls from their family and residents who heard shots fired at the site. Nearby Officers were dispatched to recon and check the situation. Police Detective Rabiul Karim and Officer InCharge Salauddin Khan started investigating the situation. Other officers started to respond at the restaurant. Terrorists started to engage the police with gunfire. Thus, Begins a Shootout between Police and Terrorists. Police closed off the area because of the heavy firepower from Terrorists and started to plan a rescue raid. Officer Khan and Karim both tried to push the Terrorists despite heavy gunfire. But terrorists threw Grenades and Fired, killing both Officer Khan and Karim. Police Radio was chattering 10-130 and 10-999. 10-130 means Emergency and 10-999 means Officers Down and Need Immediate Backup.
Robiul Karim
Salauddin Khan
The whole Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was on full alert and started to respond in the restaurant. DMP Commissioner, Assaduzaman Mia and other officers were stuck inside and opened fire on the militants in an attempt to rescue hostages and 9 hostages including their stranded officers at the site were brought back from the site in the attempt. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was briefed by the Commissioner and was ordered to Retreat with his men and Contain the Site. Prime Minister also informed that Army Chief Belal Shaiful Huq was on his way from Sylhet. All Top Officials, Directors, and Commanders were ordered for an Emergency Meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office. At the same time, one of the Attackers targeted a staff named Miraj tied him to a chair with explosives, and was using him as a Human Shield. The report states before Strapping him with Explosives, one Militant was telling Miraj, "Everyone else ran away, but you couldn't make it, that means God wants you to die." The gunmen then separated the Muslims from the non-Muslims. The Muslims were given food and water, while the non-Muslims were not. Reports also indicate that the attackers were "unfailingly polite and solicitous" with the restaurant staff and other Bangladeshis. They took the staff into their confidence, complaining that foreigners, with their skimpy clothes and taste for alcohol, were impeding the spread of Islam. "Their lifestyle is encouraging local people to do the same thing," a militant said.
By the time I went out of my room, my father had seen me already and told me; “Take care of them for me, will you ?”
And all I could do was say, “Stay Alive, Abbu. I know you are good at your job.”
He replied;” Thanks, but I don’t know what will happen but be prepared for anything”.
I nodded and saw him leave at midnight with a Police Car Smiling at me before entering the car while my mother was crying.
We also went to Gulshan 2 of our cousin Abinta Kabir’s residence for my aunty. Family sticks together no matter what.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the incident and released photographs. of the gunmen, but the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, stated that the perpetrators belonged to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and were not affiliated with ISIL. 48 hours before the attack, Bangladesh National Security Agency (NSA) Intelligence Department reported the unusual moments and chatter about a possible attack, but it was suspected the attack would target embassies or major hotels and restaurants instead. Pictures allegedly taken from inside the restaurant were circulated on Twitter by pro-ISIL accounts and show several bodies and pools of blood on the floor. The Daily Kaler Kantho reported that the militant group Ansar al-Islam announced the upcoming attack via a tweet almost 10 hours before the actual attack took place.
Law Enforcement Officers setting up Perimeter
All the Security Agencies And Law Enforcement Personnel were trying their best to control the situation.
As the police were unsuccessful in breaching the bakery and securing the hostages, they set up a perimeter along with the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh.
At 11:00 pm, Cops retreated in the face of indiscriminate firing and bomb blasts even though they were prepared for a counter-offensive gearing up and lost 2 bright officers. At 11:19 pm RAB was assigned to handle the matter.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) after taking charge and forming a perimeter.
At 11:49, the US and UK issued an alert to their citizens in the Gulshan zone. A Joint countermeasure was taken by Police and RAB by an Armored Vehicle and 13 hostages were rescued. From 3:41 am local time, it became international news and Many Countries were Pressuring for the Situation. At 4:00 am the area was barricaded and restricted access without permission. The Prime Minister confirmed the situation at 44:23 Amanda signed Operation: Thunderbolt and Ordered the High Command of Defense Force to dispatch a Joint Force of 1st Para-Commando Battalion of Army, Navy, Air Force, SWAT, RAB, and BGB.
1st Para- Commando Elite Forces getting ready to make Entry with their APC
In the early morning of 2 July, the attackers began releasing hostages. A group of women wearing hijabs was released by the attackers; they offered a young Bangladeshi man, Faraaz Hossain, and Abinta Kabir the opportunity to leave as well. However, Hossain and Kabir refused their offer and refused to leave his friends, who were prohibited from leaving by the gunmen.
Faraaz Hossain and Abinta Kabir
At 7:40 Local time, the rescue operation began and within 12 to 13 minutes Elite Commandos stormed with 9 Armored Personnel Carriers (ACP) in support, smashed through the wall, and took control of the situation as militants rigged every possible entry point with explosives. Within 12 to 13 minutes, they took control of the area. The rescue operation lasted around 50 minutes. Thirteen hostages were rescued. Five of the attackers were killed exchanging fire with the commandos, while the sixth was captured alive. During the operation, one of the bakery's chefs was mistakenly identified as an attacker by the commandos and shot dead.
Joint Special Forces with Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
Police took two of the hostages, Tahmid Hasib Khan and Hasnat Karim for questioning and subsequently vanished amidst confusion about whether they had been released or not. Both Suspects Khan and Karim Were Suspected of leading the whole attack and masterminds of the attack. Twenty-two civilians, five terrorists, and two police officers were confirmed killed, while 50 others, mostly police personnel, were injured. The two dead police officers included Rabiul Islam, Assistant Commissioner of Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and Salahuddin Ahmed, officer-in-charge of the nearby Banani police station. Nine Italian citizens were among the victims.
After the Rescue Operation the Remnants of the Holey Artisan
The Bangladesh Army initially announced that all 20 hostages killed in the attack were foreigners and that they were "killed brutally with sharp weapons" by the perpetrators. Those who could recite a verse from the Quran from memory were spared to only kill non-Muslims. Later a chef of the bakery was identified among the dead bodies. An injured staff of the bakery died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on 8 July 2016.
Among the dead were seven Japanese citizens – five men and two women – who were associated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). One of the women was pregnant at the time. Tarishi Jain, a 19-year-old female student of the University of California, Berkeley, of Indian nationality, was also killed.
A Table On Casualties of the 7/16 or Holey Artisan Attack
Later, the Bangladesh Government confirmed that 8 S.W.A.T members and 25 high-ranking officers were injured.
Injured Officers in the Rescue Operation
The five terrorists who died during rescue operations by military and joint forces are:
Nibras Islam
Rohan Imtiaz
Meer Saameh Mubasheer
Khairul Islam
Shafiqul Islam
Militants that attacked and operated in the Holey Artisan Attack
The Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Mario Giro had attended a meeting in Bangladesh and visited the attack site. He then took the bodies of 9 Italian victims and carried them to their homeland in Italy. The plane carrying the bodies landed on 5 July at Ciampino Military Airbase south of Rome, Italy. Autopsy shows that all nine Italians were tortured in the attack.
Foreign Victims Body was prepared to send back to their families
Several of them were slashed with knives and several of them were mutilated. Authorities confirmed that the nine Italian victims suffered "slow and agonizing death".
Relatives of the seven Japanese victims in the attack were flown to Bangladesh to view and identify the bodies, accompanied by Senior Vice Foreign Minister Seiji Kihara, the Foreign Ministry, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. A ceremony for the repatriation of the bodies was held at a stadium in Dhaka, which was attended by Japan's Ambassador to Bangladesh, Masato Watanabe. The bodies of the seven Japanese victims were flown to Tokyo on 5 July. The plane took off from Shahjalal International Airport at 8:40 pm local Bangladesh time.
Ambassadors Paying Respect to the Victim’s
Survivors recalled that the attackers had no mercy to the foreigners. One of the survivors stated that an Indian woman, identified as Tarishi Jain, who had been badly injured was moaning in agony, but a perpetrator took a sword to her and killed her without mercy. Prime Minister went to the site later to honor the Hostages of the families.
Prime Minister visiting the Victim’s family and their bodies.
In Memoir of the Martyrs and Civilian Casualties, Bangladesh People attended Janaza Namaz on the National TV. Honoring the sacrifice of the officers a memorial was established.
Memorial Established to Honor the fallen Brothers.
On 16 July 2016, Police arrested three people for renting out a flat to the attackers in the Bashundhara Residential Area. One of them was Gias Uddin Ahsan, a professor at North South University. The other two were his nephew Alam Chowdhury and the manager of the building Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin. Police found sand-filled cartons, which police suspect to be used to carry grenades thrown during the attack, and used clothes in the flat. Police also suspect that the attackers and their associates stayed in the flat during Ramadan, and the attack plan was drafted there.
On 26 July 2016, police raided an apartment in Kallyanpur chasing 10 suspects, all of whom are believed to be part of the same group that carried out the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, and who was planning another large-scale attack; they killed nine and arrested one. It is reported that the police were directing vigilantes organized as a "citizen's committee" by the local MP for Dhaka-14, Aslamul Haque. Participants included the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League members.
Suspects of Fake Hostage of Artian Attack
On 27 August 2016, Tamim Chowdhury, the supposed mastermind of the attack, was killed in a raid on an IS safe house in Dhaka by Bangladeshi forces. On 2 September his deputy Murad was killed in another raid in Dhaka's Rupnagar area.
On 6 January 2017, Bangladeshi police shot dead two Islamist militants including Nurul Islam Marjan, a commander of a splinter group of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) which is the prime suspect and was on a police wanted list for his role in the attack since July 2016.
On the night of 13 January 2017, Bangladeshi counterterrorism forces arrested Jahangir Alam, a man suspected of being a key planner of the attack in Tangail District.
In December 2018, the trial of eight people accused of being Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh who were suspected of helping plan and supply weapons for the attack opened before a special tribunal in Dhaka. In November 2019 seven were convicted and sentenced to death while one was acquitted.
Court Declaring Life Sentence and Hanging in Holey Artisan Attack
A Phone Call from the Police Department let us know that my Father was being hospitalized for gunshots. We went to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) to see him. Mother and sister were crying like a baby. My Grandparents flew from Cumilla immediately to check on my father. By the Grace of Allah, he was having minor injuries. And despite his injuries, he went back to the job later that same day. And we never knew that would be the last time to see my father for 2 months.
My Mother entered the cabin crying like a baby silently by his side. He opened his eyes and asked;” How are you?”
I said in my mind;” Really? Are you seriously asking it?”
I replied;” Look who is asking?”
My Small Sister said my mind’s word;” Really! We were supposed to ask you, and you are asking us?”
Even my mother couldn’t but smile at her crying. The doctor reported taking constant rest for his hand.
But this attack of Holey Artisan Bakery or 7/16 was a WakeUp Call for Bangladesh against Terrorism. and Racism Attacks. Because of the casualties of the Brothers-in-Arms, the Bangladesh Armed Forces took it personally. Bangladesh Armed Forces Declared “ZERO TOLERANCE” to Terrorism. And was searching for vengeance on the fallen brothers. Every military personnel father joined the raid to clean up and send the message to the terrorists and militants,” Terrorism in Bangladesh is going to cost your life. We are going to find you, and we will kill every single one of you, and you will not see us coming and won’t even know what hit you. You are gonna regret even being born.”
Within the next 2 months, the Bangladesh Armed Forces found safe houses and raided and killed or detained terrorists.
The next raid was Operation: Twilight killing Bomb or IED Experts at Atia Mahal. The Whole Area was locked down evacuating civilians. Photos released by The Daily Star in the above.
Civilians Evacuation during the raid by Joint Armed Forces
Heavy Bomb Explosives and IEDS were disabled by The Bomb Disposal Unit. The whole site was covered for control of the public by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
RAB and Bomb Disposal Unit on the site
Later was confirmed by the Joined Armed Forces Command in the Press Release about the Operation.
Operation: Twilight
Based on the information gained from the Operation
Another raid was led named Operation: HIT STRONG 27, and the Terror Kingpin, Tamim Chowdhury, surfaced as one of the fund-raisers.
Tamim Chowdury Terror Kingpin
masterminds of 7/16 or The Holey Artisan Attack in Narayanganj. And 3 militants along the Kingpin Tamim Chowdury were killed in the raid.
Thus, The End of Vengeance of the Fallen Brothers.
My Father came back home after 2 months, and It was one of the darkest times for me and my family especially my mother who was constantly anxious about my father. Waiting for his calls or messages so that she can know about him. He came back without a second in injury and was at ease to have vengeance for his fallen brother.
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