Solved case
July 2016 Dhaka Attack
On the night of 1 July 2016, five gunmen took hostages at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan neighborhood, killing 29 people including 20 hostages and two police officers before a military commando raid ended the siege the next morning.
On the evening of 1 July 2016, five armed attackers entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in the Gulshan Thana area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, carrying crude bombs, pistols, assault rifles, and at least one sword. They opened fire indiscriminately, detonated explosives, and took dozens of people hostage, including many foreign nationals. Restaurant staff hid in a cramped second-floor restroom while the attackers moved through the building, separating Muslims from non-Muslims and reportedly sparing those who could recite verses from the Quran.
Police officers, including detective Rabiul Islam and officer-in-charge Salahuddin Ahmed, responded to the gunfire and attempted to intervene. Both officers were killed by the attackers, who threw grenades and fired on police as a cordon was established with support from the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was briefed on the unfolding crisis and ordered a military response.
In the early hours of 2 July, the Bangladesh Armed Forces launched a counter-assault codenamed Operation Thunderbolt, led by the 1st Para-Commando Battalion under operational commander Brigadier General Mujibur Rahman. Commandos, supported by armored personnel carriers, breached the building around 07:40 local time and secured the site within roughly 50 minutes. Thirteen hostages were rescued alive. Five attackers were killed in the operation and a sixth individual was captured. A bakery employee was mistakenly killed by commandos during the raid, having been misidentified as an attacker.
In total, 29 people were killed: 20 hostages (17 foreign nationals and three Bangladeshis), two police officers, five attackers, and two bakery staff members. Victims included nine Italian citizens, seven Japanese nationals associated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Tarishi Jain, a 19-year-old Indian student at the University of California, Berkeley. Autopsies reportedly indicated that the Italian victims had been tortured before death. Fifty other people, mostly police personnel, were injured.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and released photographs of the attackers, who were identified by Bangladeshi police as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubasheer, Khairul Islam, and Shafiqul Islam — young, well-educated men from affluent Bangladeshi families. Bangladesh's then-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated the attackers belonged to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh rather than being directly affiliated with the Islamic State.
Subsequent law-enforcement operations targeted individuals believed connected to the attack's planning and logistics, including raids that killed several suspected militant figures in the following months. In December 2018, eight people accused of helping plan and supply weapons for the attack went on trial before a special tribunal in Dhaka. In November 2019, seven were convicted and sentenced to death, and one was acquitted. Following appeal proceedings, the death sentences of the seven convicted individuals were later commuted to life imprisonment.
Key facts
- Victims
- Tarishi Jain, Salahuddin Ahmed, Faraaz Hossain, Rabiul Islam
- Date
- 2016
- Location
- Holey Artisan Bakery, Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2016-07-01
Five armed attackers storm the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka, taking hostages and opening fire; two police officers are later killed while responding.
2016-07-02
Bangladesh Armed Forces launch Operation Thunderbolt at approximately 07:40 local time, ending the siege; five attackers are killed, one is captured, and 13 hostages are rescued.
2016-07-05
Bodies of nine Italian victims and seven Japanese victims are repatriated to Italy and Japan respectively.
2016-07-08
An injured bakery staff member dies at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, raising the death toll.
2016-07-16
Police arrest three people, including a North South University professor, for renting a flat allegedly used by the attackers.
2016-07-26
Police raid an apartment in Kallyanpur, killing nine and arresting one suspect believed linked to the same militant group.
2016-08-27
Tamim Chowdhury, described as the attack's mastermind, is killed in a raid on an Islamic State safehouse in Dhaka.
2016-09-02
Chowdhury's deputy, referred to as Murad, is killed in another raid in Dhaka's Rupnagar area.
2017-01-06
Bangladeshi police kill Nurul Islam Marjan, a wanted commander of a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh splinter group linked to the attack.
2017-01-13
Counterterrorism forces arrest Jahangir Alam, a suspected key planner of the attack, in Tangail District.
2018-12
Trial opens before a special tribunal in Dhaka for eight people accused of helping plan and supply weapons for the attack.
2019-11
Seven defendants are convicted and sentenced to death; one is acquitted.
2025-06-17
Bangladesh's Supreme Court uploads the full verdict text commuting the seven death sentences to life imprisonment until natural death.
Best coverage
No coverage has been attached to this file yet.
People
Nibras Islam
CHARGEDIdentified by Bangladeshi police as one of five gunmen; killed during the rescue operation, IS claimed him among the attackers
Tarishi Jain
VICTIM19-year-old Indian national and University of California, Berkeley student, killed in the attack
Gias Uddin Ahsan
CHARGEDNorth South University professor arrested for allegedly renting a flat to the attackers
Asaduzzaman Mia
LAW ENFORCEMENTDhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner who led officers in an attempt to rescue civilians during the siege
Salahuddin Ahmed
VICTIMOfficer-in-charge of Banani police station, killed responding to the attack
Mujibur Rahman
LAW ENFORCEMENTBrigadier General and operational commander of the 1st Para-Commando Battalion leading Operation Thunderbolt
Khairul Islam
CHARGEDIdentified by Bangladeshi police as one of five gunmen; killed during the rescue operation
Faraaz Hossain
VICTIMBangladeshi hostage who was offered release but refused to leave his friends and was killed
Tamim Chowdhury
CHARGEDDescribed as the attack's mastermind; killed in a raid on an Islamic State safehouse in Dhaka on 27 August 2016
Jahangir Alam
CHARGEDSuspected key planner of the attack, arrested by counterterrorism forces on 13 January 2017
Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin
CHARGEDBuilding manager arrested in connection with the flat rented to the attackers
Nurul Islam Marjan
CHARGEDCommander of a JMB splinter group wanted for his role in the attack; shot dead by police on 6 January 2017
Rohan Imtiaz
CHARGEDIdentified by Bangladeshi police as one of five gunmen; killed during the rescue operation
Rabiul Islam
VICTIMAssistant Commissioner, Detective Branch, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, killed responding to the attack
Alam Chowdhury
CHARGEDNephew of Gias Uddin Ahsan, arrested in connection with the flat rented to attackers
Meer Saameh Mubasheer
CHARGEDIdentified by Bangladeshi police as one of five gunmen; killed during the rescue operation
Shafiqul Islam
CHARGEDIdentified by Bangladeshi police as one of five gunmen (also referred to as Shafiqul Islam Ujjal); killed during the rescue operation
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Ambassador Miller joined in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Holey Artisan Bakery attack.d (51293399083)
Credit: U.S. Embassy Dhaka from Bangladesh · Public domain · Source
archival location
GulshanDhaka
Credit: Ahnaf Saber · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
archival location
Gulshan attack location
Credit: Eugen Simion 14 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
archival location
Metro Rail Exhibition and Information Centre Dhaka 02
Credit: Unknown artistUnknown artist · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
archival location
Street of Gulshan-1 during Gulshan Hostage Crisis 2016 (02)
Credit: Nahid Sultan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
other document
গুলশান আক্রমণের স্থান
Credit: আফতাবুজ্জামান · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
unclassified
Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury press conference on Gulshan attack security operation, Dhaka, 2016-07-02
Credit: Press Information Department · Public domain · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On the night of 1 July 2016, five gunmen took hostages at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan neighborhood, killing 29 people including 20 hostages and two police officers before a military commando raid ended the siege the next morning.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Holey Artisan Bakery, Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
Related cases
View all cases
Murder of Biswajit Das
Shankhari Bazaar, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
Assassination of Khaled Mosharraf
Dhaka Cantonment, Dhaka, Bangladesh
1964 East Pakistan riots
Dhaka and surrounding districts, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Pulse nightclub, Orlando, Florida, United States
2018 Toronto van attack
Yonge Street, North York City Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Murder of Jo Cox
Birstall, West Yorkshire, England
Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICJuly 2016 Dhaka attackWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage of the Dhaka attackBBC News · 2026-07-07
- PRESSGunmen take hostages at Bangladesh restaurant, 2 deadThe Washington Post · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
When a file you follow changes — a new development, a correction, fresh coverage — the Dispatch is how you hear about it.
The Casepin Dispatch
A calm weekly briefing from the archive — one case worth understanding, meaningful updates to files you follow, and the best new coverage. You’ll also get the one-time note when the apps land. No gore, no rumor, no drip.