Ten years on, the terror of that night, the cries of families torn apart, the targeted killing of foreign nationals, and the radicalisation of educated youths from affluent backgrounds remains a deep scar in Bangladesh’s security history.
Today (1 July) marks ten years since the Holey Artisan attack in Dhaka’s Gulshan, an assault that claimed 20 lives and shook the world. The victims included nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, two Bangladeshis, and one Bangladeshi‑American.
Two police officers were also killed while trying to stop the assailants. The five attackers, identified as members of the neo‑JMB militant group, were killed in a commando operation that ended the night‑long standoff.
The attackers — Nibras Islam, Shafiqul Islam alias Ujjal, Mir Samih Mobasher, Rohan Ibn Imtiaz, and Khairul Islam alias Payel — had disappeared from their homes weeks earlier before carrying out the assault.
The bakery at House 5, Road 79, Gulshan‑2, once a popular gathering spot, became the symbol of Bangladesh’s confrontation with extremism, and the scars of that night continue to mark the nation’s security history.
International media gave wide coverage to the killings of so many foreign nationals in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone. The trial that followed stretched over three and a half years. In November 2019, a special tribunal sentenced seven men to death. But in October 2023, the High Court commuted those sentences to imprisonment.
The convicts include Jahangir Hossain alias Rajib Gandhi, Aslam Hossain alias Rash, Hadisur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan Regan, Abdus Sabur Khan, Shariful Islam alias Khaled, and Mamunur Rashid Ripon. Most of the alleged masterminds were reported killed in security operations.
The memory of the two police officers who died has faded in official commemorations. Their memorial sculpture “Deepto Shopoth,” erected in front of Gulshan Police Station, was destroyed during the 2024 protests and never rebuilt. Annual floral tributes once offered by the police have ceased.
Diplomatic remembrance has waned too. In earlier years, Japanese and Italian embassy officials visited the site to pay respects. Last year, no such programme took place. This year, embassies have coordinated to hold a memorial at the Italian Embassy instead of at the site, according to Gulshan police.
The Holey Artisan attack remains one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh’s fight against extremism — a reminder of the fragility of peace and the enduring need for vigilance.
