Washington DC: In a major development in Dhaka attack, authorities have stated that all the attackers from the deadly assault on a cafe were Bangladeshi citizens.
Moreover, five of them were militants that police had tried to arrest previously.
Police Inspector General Shahidul Hoque told CNN that two police officers had been killed in a gunfire exchange earlier in the standoff.
The nationalities of the 20 hostages who were found dead inside the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe after Bangladeshi troops stormed the cafe early Saturday morning, ending a nearly 11-hour siege, were also released.
Nine of the victims were Italian, seven were Japanese, one was from India, two were Bangladeshi and one was a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin, according to the country's Joint Force Command. Eleven of the victims were male and nine were female.
Six terrorists were killed and one was captured alive, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Saturday.
Initially, a U.S. official told CNN that it was more likely that al Qaeda had conducted the attack. But after photos showing the inside of the cafe and dead hostages were posted on an ISIS-affiliated website, U.S. officials said they are now focused on ISIS.
