[Flashback ’16] Ignoring Pleas for Help… The Brutal Scene of the “Dhaka Restaurant Terror Attack”

Killed in a “highly brutal manner”

What was *FRIDAY* reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago? We take a look back at topics that were in the news at the time in this series, [Playback Friday].This time, we feature the July 22, 2016, issue —“Bangladesh Terror Attack: ‘A Scene of Excruciatingly Brutal Torture’”— from 10 years ago.

On the night of July 1, 2016, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a terrorist attack occurred in the Gulshan district of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, where foreign embassies are concentrated. An armed group attacked a popular restaurant that was usually bustling with foreigners and other patrons.This was the “Dhaka Restaurant Terror Attack,” in which seven Japanese nationals lost their lives. Why did the perpetrators carry out such a heinous act at an ordinary restaurant?—(Text in 《》 is quoted from past articles; titles reflect those at the time).

“Torture” for Failing to Recite the Quran

The armed group killed numerous patrons. They took some hostage and barricaded themselves inside the restaurant, but in the early morning of the 7th, security forces consisting of the military and police stormed the premises and quelled the attack. In addition to the seven Japanese nationals, 20 others—including nine Italians, as well as Americans and Indians—and two police officers were killed in the incident.The perpetrators are believed to have been seven individuals; six were shot dead and one was arrested (it was later determined that one of those shot was not a perpetrator). The article described the incident as follows:

“Although the group of perpetrators was dressed casually in T-shirts and shorts, they were armed with assault rifles, grenades, and large bladed weapons such as machetes.Along with their ringleader, they entered through a gate facing the main street and fired their guns while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great) to intimidate people. Bangladeshi customers and employees were ordered to remain on the first floor, while foreigners were forced to move to the second floor.

“They paid no heed to pleas such as ‘I’m Japanese, please help me.’ Foreigners, including Japanese nationals, were forced to recite the Quran, and those who could not do so were subjected to ‘torture,’” said a reporter from the foreign news desk of a national newspaper.

A military official stated that the victims “were killed in a very brutal manner with sharp blades,” but did not provide further details. The crime scene photos obtained by this magazine convey a level of horror that makes one want to look away.Bodies with limbs stabbed to pieces, bodies with their throats slashed open, bodies so disfigured that their faces were unrecognizable, bodies with their abdomens riddled like a beehive… Is this not the work of monsters, utterly trampling on human dignity?

The perpetrators were all young Bangladeshi men in their late teens to early twenties from affluent families. They were reportedly well-educated as well. While the ringleader has been arrested, it has been suggested that an even larger support network may be operating behind the scenes.

The Spread of “IS” Forces Across Asia

On the evening of the 2nd, a militant group calling itself “IS (Islamic State) Bangladesh” issued a claim of responsibility. In the statement, the group cited its motive as “to make it clear that attacks by Islamic fighters are inevitable as long as fighter jets from the Crusader nations continue to kill Muslims.” The term “Crusaders” refers to the coalition of nations conducting airstrikes against IS.

Although Bangladesh is known as a pro-Japan country, from the perspective of Islamic extremists, it is seen as a place where people “drink alcohol, wear revealing clothing, and stroll through the streets, thereby disregarding Islamic precepts.” At that time, the country could no longer be considered safe for Japanese nationals.

Although Bangladeshi authorities took a negative stance toward the statement, an international journalist made the following observation regarding the relationship between ISIS and Bangladesh at that time:

“In the April issue of its official magazine *Dabiq*, ISIS featured the top leader of ‘ISIS-Bangladesh’—an entity that was supposedly nonexistent until then—suggesting the group’s ‘launch’ in Bangladesh.Last year, there was a case where they carried out a terrorist attack during Ramadan to announce the establishment of a branch to the world; this time may be a similar situation. There are also signs that they are attempting to strengthen their influence in various Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Indonesia.”

IS, which continues to lose ground in the Middle East, has seen its “territory” shrink by about 40 percent in Iraq and about 20 percent in Syria from its peak. It is shifting its focus to terrorist attacks outside the areas it controls, and the number of organizations pledging allegiance to it is increasing.

“ISIS is clearly strengthening its focus on Asia, as evidenced by propaganda videos calling for terrorist attacks in Malay. In Jakarta, Indonesia, a terrorist attack in January of this year killed four civilians, including one Canadian, and in June, three suspects were arrested in Surabaya, on the eastern part of Java, for plotting a terrorist attack.That same month, a terrorist attack in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, left eight people injured. It has been pointed out that approximately 1,000 fighters from Southeast Asian countries have traveled to Syria and Iraq, and there is a possibility that they have returned to their home countries and begun operations there” (the aforementioned national newspaper reporter).》

This meant that the risk of Japanese citizens being caught up in terrorist attacks had expanded beyond the Middle East and Europe to include Asia as well. While Japanese companies had begun to refrain from business trips to Bangladesh for the time being following the Dhaka terrorist attack, a sense was growing that it would no longer be safe to travel casually to other regions either.

Japanese Man Visiting for Aid Work Killed

In the article, a neighbor of the victim—a man in his 30s at the time—spoke as follows:

“‘××-chan’ was such a good kid. Ever since he was little, , whenever I saw him, he’d greet me with a shy smile. He loved railroads and studied hard; wanting to ‘put his knowledge to use for others,’ he joined his current company and traveled to various places ‘to contribute to the development of developing countries’… He was supposed to get married next year. It’s truly heartbreaking—I can’t forgive this.”》

Eight men and women in their 20s to 40s—including employees of a consulting firm involved in a survey for the JICA-supported Dhaka urban transportation improvement project—were caught up in the incident. While one man in his 40s was rescued, all the others were killed.

One of the Bangladeshi hostages told the Nikkei Shimbun, “Most of the Japanese guests were killed immediately,” and “I hid in a cold storage room with one of the Japanese men for about two hours; we were found, and while nothing was done to me, that Japanese man was shot dead.”Most of the victims were foreigners, and the perpetrators reportedly treated Bangladeshis—including employees—with courtesy. In the Gulshan district, an Italian man had been shot and killed by an unknown assailant while jogging the year before the incident, prompting police to heighten their vigilance against crimes targeting foreigners.

In October 2017, the “capital” of Raqqa was captured, and ISIS as a “state” ceased to exist. However, it has gone underground and continues to exist as an international terrorist network with branches around the world operating autonomously.

Bangladesh’s first urban rapid transit system—the project on which the Japanese victims had been working—partially opened in 2022. It is now said to be an important means of transportation for the city’s residents. A memorial honoring the seven Japanese victims has been erected at the Dhaka Urban Rail Exhibition and Information Center.