Operation Thunderbolt (2016)
| 1–2 July 2016 Dhaka attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Terrorism in Bangladesh | |
Location of the attack within Dhaka
|
|
| Location | Holey Artisan Bakery Road No 79, House 5, Gulshan 2 Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh |
| Date | 1–2 July 2016 21:20 – 08:30 (BST, UTC+06:00) |
| Target | Mainly non-Muslim foreigners |
|
Attack type
|
Mass shooting, bombing, hostage-taking |
| Weapons | Firearms (5 pistols and 2 AK-22 rifles),IEDs, sword |
| Deaths | 29 (22 civilians, 5 attackers, 2 police officers) |
|
Non-fatal injuries
|
50 |
| Victims | 20–60 hostages |
| Perpetrators |
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (disputed) Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen(disputed) |
|
No. of participants
|
5 |
| Defenders |
1st Para-commando Battalion Bangladesh Army Bangladesh Navy SWADS Bangladesh Air Force Military Police Border Guards Bangladesh Bangladesh Police Armed Police Battalions Rapid Action Battalion Bomb Disposal Unit SWAT Detective Branch Special Branch (Bangladesh) Bangladesh Ansar Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defence |
Coordinates: 23°48′09″N 90°25′00″E / 23.802512°N 90.416690°E
On the night of 1 July 2016, at 21:20 local time, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana—an affluent area with many embassies in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The assailants entered the bakery with crude bombs, machetes, pistols, and took several dozen hostages (foreigners and locals). In the immediate response, while Dhaka Metropolitan Police tried to regain control of the bakery, two police officers were shot dead by the assailants.
29 people were killed, including 20 hostages (18 foreigners and 2 locals), 2 police officers, 5 gunmen, and 2 bakery staff. 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 Guards Bangladesh. Very early on 2 July (around 03:00), it was decided that the Bangladesh Armed Forces would launch a counter assault named Operation Thunderbolt. The assault was led by the 1st Para-commando Battalion, an elite force in the Bangladesh Army, and began their raid at 07:40. According to Bangladesh's Inspector General of Police, all of the attackers were Bangladeshi citizens.Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the incident and released photographs of the gunmen, but the home minister of Bangladesh, Asaduzzaman Khan, stated that the perpetrators belonged to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and were not affiliated with ISIL.
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