Foreign envoys to Bangladesh, the ambassadors of Italy, the United States and Japan and the high commissioner of India among them, along with the Bangladesh foreign secretary paid tributes to the victims killed in the Holey Artisan attack in Gulshan in the capital eight years ago.
Senior officials from law enforcement agencies also joined them in paying tributes to the victims, mostly foreigners to mark the 8th anniversary of the deadliest terror attack in Bangladesh鈥檚 history on July 1, 2016 that saw 22 people slain.
Ambassador of Italy Antonio Alessandro, ambassador US Peter Haas, Indian high commissioner Pranay Verma, Japanese ambassador Iwama Kiminori and others placed floral wreaths at the site of the attack in Gulshan in the morning to mark the day.
Expressing solidarity with the victims of Holey Artisan Bakery attack and their families, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said that the government of Bangladesh had remained steadfast in its commitment to work towards a peaceful Bangladesh for all, especially for its foreign friends.
鈥榃e reaffirm our government鈥檚 commitment to work together with the people and the governments of Italy, Japan, India and the USA as well the world community to fight this menace,鈥� the United News of Bangladesh reported quoting the foreign secretary as saying, while paying his tribute.
Speaking at a commemorative event at the residence of Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, Momen said that Bangladesh employed both hard and soft approaches, including community engagement, to deal with the threat of violent extremism.
Director general for Italian Citizens Abroad under the country鈥檚 Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Vignali was among the dignitaries placing floral wreaths at the site of the attack in commemoration, according to the UNB report.
They also solemnly remembered the Bangladeshi law enforcement officials, who were killed or injured while responding to the Holey Artisan terror attack.
Bangladesh was unrelenting in its response to the Holey Artisan attack until the verdict of the landmark trial came bringing the perpetrators to justice, the foreign secretary said.
The Italian ambassador praised Bangladesh for its success in particular its community-based approach to prevent violent extremism, the UNB reported.
Director General Luigi Vignali in his speech reaffirmed the strong bonding between Italy and Bangladesh.聽聽
Law enforcement authorities while paying tributes said that they had successfully brought extremism under control and there was no specific threat right now.
Police鈥檚 special branch chief and additional inspector general Monirul Islam said that many thought that Bangladesh would fail to recover from the impact of the Holey Artisan attack.
鈥楾hey thought that Bangladesh would turn into Afghanistan with more attacks. But extremism is now under control in the country,鈥� he said.
Rapid Action Battalion director general Md Harun-Ar-Rashid said that they were continuously monitoring the situation to eliminate extremism from the country.
On July 1, 2016, a group of armed extremists stormed the upscale cafe Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan.
The attack left 22 people dead, 17 of whom were foreign nationals. The hostage crisis ended following a commando operation on July 2, 2016.
