Dhaka

A special antiterror tribunal in Dhaka on Wednesday sentenced seven suspects to death and acquitted another over a 2016 terror attack in the Bangladesh capital, in which 20 hostages including seven Japanese were killed.

The eight were suspected of being involved in planning the attack, procuring funds and weapons, recruiting extremists and other activities.

They were members of an offshoot of a local extremist group. The faction is believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State militant group, which has claimed responsibility for the deadly incident.

On July 1, 2016, an armed group attacked the Holy Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic district. After a siege of 11 hours, special forces stormed the restaurant and shot the five members of the armed group dead.

The Japanese victims were engaged in an infrastructure development project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

One of the main people behind the attack is believed to be Mohammad Saifullah Ozaki, a Bangladesh native with Japanese citizenship. The former associate professor at Ritsumeikan University in Japan reportedly surrendered to Kurdish forces in eastern Syria in March this year and was later transferred to Iraq.

Jiji Press