9th anniv of Holey Artisan Café attack

Today is the 9th anniversary of the Holey Artisan Café attack that killed 22 people, including 17 foreign nationals.

Paying deep tribute to the victims of the 2016 Holey Artisan Café attack, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said Bangladesh continues to pursue a ‘zero tolerance policy’ against terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and remains ‘steadfast’ in strengthening its cooperation with all the international partners.

“As we honour the memory of the victims, their unfortunate sacrifices have emboldened our resolve and we are determined to create a world free from terrorism,” he said while speaking at a commemoration event at the residence of Antonio Alessandro, the Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh.

On this day in 2016, militants, equipped with firearms, sharp weapons and grenades, attacked the Holey Artisan Café in Gulshan and killed three Bangladeshis, seven Japanese, nine Italians, and one Indian. Two police officers were also killed during the rescue operations.

SI Ripon Kumar Das filed a case over the attack with Gulshan Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act three days after the incident.

On November 27, 2019, the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal in Dhaka convicted and sentenced seven members of the New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death for their involvement in the attack.

The seven convicts are Rakibul Hasan Regan, Md Jahangir Hossain alias Rajib Gandhi, Aslam Hossain alias Rash,Hadisur Rahman, Md Abdus Sabur Khan alias Sohel Mahfuz, Mamunur Rashid alias Ripon and Shariful Islam Khaled.

About four years later on October 30 in 2023, the High Court (HC) bench of Justice Shahidul Karim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman commuted their death sentence to imprisonment until death upon hearing on the death references.

The HC on June 17 last published its full report describing why the court commuted the death sentences of the accused to imprisonment until death.

“Considering the brutality of the murder, the overall cruel behaviour of the terrorists on the spot at the time of the incident and the tarnishing of the image of Bangladesh in the outside world, we think that justice will be ensured if each of them (seven convicts) is sentenced to life imprisonment (till natural death) in the case,” the bench said in the full text of the verdict.

Six of the seven convicts, filed four leave-to-appeal petitions with the apex court in May this year, seeking acquittal from the charges in the case.