When the Bangladeshi police freed hostages after a harrowing July 1 terrorist attack on a Dhaka bakery that left 22 people dead, two men remained mysteriously unaccounted for.
On Thursday, Shahidur Rahman, deputy inspector general of the Dhaka police, confirmed that both were in custody and had been arrested the previous night under a law that allows such action without a warrant. The police previously said the two were suspected of involvement in the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.
Mr. Khan had been visiting Dhaka on vacation when the attack took place, and Mr. Karim was working for a family-owned civil engineering company. Mr. Khan was beaten and both men were taken into police custody after the 11-hour siege, other hostages said.
More than a week after the attack, their families said they had no knowledge of the men’s whereabouts since the police stormed the cafe, killing five people identified as attackers.
Mr. Khan and his friends at the bakery were spared by the militants because they were Bangladeshi Muslims, said two people held hostage with him, who spoke anonymously for fear of upsetting the police.
They said that Mr. Khan and Mr. Karim had been placed at a table of eight patrons, including Mr. Karim’s two children, all of whom survived. They were instructed to keep their heads down on the table for much of the night.
But several times during the siege, the attackers ordered Mr. Khan and Mr. Karim to perform specific tasks for them, including carrying weapons, the two hostages said.
Source: NyTimes
