Some Former Hostages Being Questioned Over Bangladesh Attack

Some Former Hostages Being Questioned Over Bangladesh Attack
Relatives of Abinta Kabir, student of Emory University of U.S., carry her coffin draped with the Bangladesh and U.S. flags after a ceremony for victims of the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, July 4, 2016. The brutality of the attack, the worst convulsion of violence yet in the recent series of deadly attacks to hit Bangladesh, has stunned the traditionally moderate Muslim nation and raised global concerns about whether it can cope with the increasingly strident Islamist militants. AP Photo
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NEW DELHI—Some of the hostages rescued from the weekend attack on an upscale restaurant in Bangladesh’s capital were questioned Monday by investigators searching for clues about the possible masterminds behind the gruesome attack that left 28 dead, including many foreigners.

Authorities were still holding five of the 13 hostages rescued when commandos stormed the restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone Saturday morning, killing six of the attackers and capturing one, according to officials.

Bangladesh police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Haque said authorities would be interrogating two men, including a suspected militant, who were detained during Saturday’s operation. He would not say whether either had been among those counted as hostages, only that they were being treated in a hospital for unspecified injuries.

A second official said the five former hostages still being held included a Canadian citizen of Bangladeshi origin and a Bangladesh-born British citizen. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media about the ongoing investigation. The official said authorities were looking into the backgrounds of the five people and questioning their families and friends.