Police in Bangladesh say gunmen have attacked a restaurant in the diplomatic zone of the capital, Dhaka, and have taken around 20 hostages.
The U.S. State Department confirmed on Twitter that a hostage situation is taking place at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic enclave. It urged people to take shelter and monitor the news.
Bangladeshi police say 8 to 9 gunmen entered the restaurant in the upscale Gulshan area around 9:20 p.m. Local time Friday. They say several foreigners are among those still trapped inside.
Police cordoned off the area around the restaurant and exchanged gunfire with the attackers, who set off explosives. At least one policeman was killed in the fighting.
The head of Bangladesh’s elite anti-crime force, Benazir Ahmed, said police are “trying to talk to the attackers. We want to listen to them about what they want.”
A bakery employee who escaped the attack has told reporters the gunmen shouted “Allah Akbar” (“God is the greatest”) prior to taking hostages.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has accounted for all Americans working at the U.S. mission in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has seen a series of attacks in recent months, mostly targeting bloggers, atheists and religious minorities. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks.
