As many as nine Islamic State militants opened gunfire at a bakery Friday night inside the diplomatic zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh before taking 40 people hostage.
The terrorists killed two police officers and wounded 26 other people before taking 40 hostages inside the Holey Artisan Bakery building and yelling “Allahu Akbar,” the Associated Press reported.
Ten of the 26 wounded have been listed critical condition, six of whom are on life support, according to hospital staff.
A group of heavily armed law enforcement officers swarmed the scene following the attack, but were immediately blocked outside the building. Negotiators have failed to reach a truce with the hostage-takers nine hours into the incident.
The attackers “have not responded to authorities’ calls for negotiation,” Lt. Col. Masood, a member of the Rapid Action Battalion, told Indian TV channel Times Now.
The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka advised people over Twitter to shelter in place nearby.
“Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco has briefed the president on the ongoing situation in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” the White House said Friday afternoon. “The president asked to be kept informed as the situation develops.”
The terrorist attack is the second this week by the Islamic State after three suicide bombers killed more than 40 people and injured 140 others at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.
