Dhaka attack: Hostage-takers were from Bangladesh group, not IS, says minister

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“They have no connections with the Islamic State.”

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7 Gunmen, carrying heavy arms, stormed into the upmarket restaurant popular with expatriates in the diplomatic zone late on Friday, before killing 18 foreigners in a coordinated mass killing that experts said marked a level of scale and sophistication not previously seen in the South Asian country.

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Bangladesh has blamed two home-grown groups for a series of grisly killings targeting liberals or members of minority groups over the past 18 months, and local authorities have maintained that no operational links exist between Bangladeshi militants and international jihadi networks.

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Islamic State posted photos on Saturday of five fighters it said were involved in the killings but its claim has not been confirmed.

(With inputs from AFP/Reuters)