President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom sends a message of sympathy to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following the attacks on Holey Artisan Café.
In his message, the President conveyed heartfelt sympathy to Prime Minister Hasina, the Government and the brotherly people of Bangladesh, and extended sincere condolences to the members of the bereaved families.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister joined families of cafe attack victims at a memorial in Dhaka amid tight security today. She went down a row of family members and spoke to them one by one before people attending the memorial laid wreaths to pay homage to the hostages who were killed in the attack.
Gunmen stormed an upmarket restaurant in the diplomatic zone late and killed their mostly non-Muslim hostages, including nine Italians, seven Japanese and a citizen each from the United States and India. Three of the six gunmen killed were under 22 years of age and had been missing for six months, authorities said.
Police and government officials said the attackers were from well-off Bangladeshi families, a rarity and an indication that religious radicalisation was widening its scope.