TOKYO, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday labeled the terrorist attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that claimed the lives of at least 20 civilians, possibly including 7 Japanese nationals who have yet to be accounted for and left scores more injured in a cafe, as an "inhumane atrocity."
"We're doing everything we can to confirm the safety of the seven Japanese nationals, but the circumstances are dire. I feel profound anger that so many innocent people have lost their lives in this savage act of heinous terrorism," Abe told a press briefing on Saturday evening, adding that the siege had culminated in an "inhumane atrocity" that had sparked deep indignation and strong condemnation from the international community.
Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reconfirmed that one Japanese hostage was rescued and is being treated in hospital for non-critical gunshot wounds, and that two Sri Lankans were also among the 13 rescued by Bangladesh's elite forces and police personnel who stormed the cafe and finally brought the hostage crisis to an end.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda stated at a press conference earlier in the day that the wounded Japanese national was working on a project for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and said that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had been in touch with Abe about the unfolding situation and said that Abe had been informed that there had been civilian fatalities at the scene.
It has yet to be confirmed if any of the deceased include the 7 Japanese nationals that have still not been accounted for, but local media reports have stated that many of those killed were dispatched execution style and at least one of the assailants was carrying a "sharp weapon" leading to speculation about the slain hostages possibly being decapitated by their captives.
The wounded Japanese man and the 7 missing Japanese all worked for JICA, according to local media, and were all dining together at the cafe when the attack occurred, but were separated as they all sought refuge independently when the gunmen stormed the building shouting "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great" in Arabic) before opening fire.
JICA in a press conference on Saturday confirmed that seven Japanese nationals working as consultants on its development projects in Bangladesh remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the deadly attack at the cafe, while strongly condemning the attack.
"I feel deeply outraged that people working to engineer the development of Bangladesh have been caught up in this," Shinichi Kitaoka, the head of JICA said.
Abe while also strongly condemning the attack, has called for the utmost cooperation from the Bangladesh government and relevant officials on the matter as investigations continue through the night and in the upcoming days, while Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Bangladesh counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali have agreed to continue to liaise closely on the crisis.
Responsibility for the attack has been claimed by the so-called Islamic State militant group, with reports stating that seven young men wielding guns entered the popular Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in the upscale Gulshan diplomatic region of Bangladeshi's capital, known for attracting foreigners and located not far from the Japanese Embassy, at around 8:45 p.m. local time on Friday evening and opened fire indiscriminately on the cafe's customers after detonating explosives.
Along with Bangladeshi military forces, hundreds of local police stormed the cafe with the crisis coming to an end around 12 hours after the siege began, with 13 hostages being rescued and six of the gunmen being killed while one was captured and detained alive.
Several police officers were killed during the operation, Abe heard in a 20-minute teleconference with Hasina earlier in the day, and scores of people were left wounded after the attack although their identities, including their nationalities are as yet unknown, with the killed hostages likely comprising mainly Italians and Japanese, but also Sri Lankans, Indians as well as locals, media here have reported.
Abe has set up an emergency task force at his office and instructed the relevant ministries here to coordinate effectively with officials and the government in Bangladesh and other countries involved as necessary. He also convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council here.
The Japanese government will also dispatch its counter-terrorism intelligence unit to Dhaka, officials here said, with the team being joined by senior vice foreign minister Seiji Kihara, Hagiuda said.
Abe said he has ordered his officials to take whatever means necessary to locate those involved in the hostage situation and ensure that the necessary information reaches Japan as swiftly as possible.
The prime minister canceled his election campaign plans for Saturday, his office said and arrangements are being made for the families of the Japanese victims involved to be flown to Dhaka.
All Japanese living, visiting or planning to visit Bangladesh have been issued with a warning by the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo to remain vigilant in and around government, public transport facilities, popular tourist sites and places that attract a lot of people in Bangladesh.
The ministry indicted that further terror attacks could be possible in the region as the Islamic State militant group has been increasingly targeting religious, secularist and other minority groups as well as foreigners in Bangladesh, although the scale and public nature of the latest attack is unprecedented.
