Seven members of a banned Islamist militant group were sentenced to death today for their involvement in an attack on a Dhaka cafe that killed 22 people, including 19 foreigners.
A special anti-terrorism tribunal found the men, from the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, guilty of planning the attack, making bombs and murder. An eighth man was acquitted.
Judge Mojibur Rahman announced the verdicts amid heavy security as the accused men in the dock defiantly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest).
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Bangladeshi government rejected their claim, saying the domestic group was behind it and that Islamic State has no presence in the country.
The July 2016 attack in the Muslim-majority nation followed several years of smaller attacks targeting scores of individuals deemed by extremists to be “enemies of Islam”, including secularists, writers, religious minorities, foreigners and activists.
Five militants took hostages and opened fire during the cafe attack.
Twenty hostages were killed, including visitors from Japan, Italy and India, and two security officials. The gunmen were shot dead by commandos after a 12-hour stand-off.
