UN officials condemn terrorist attack in Bangladesh

Senior United Nations officials have condemned the terrorist attack in a café in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka that reportedly killed 20 hostages over the weekend.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “condemns the terrorist attack” and “hopes that those behind this crime will be identified and brought to justice,” his spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Mr. Ban “stands firmly by Bangladesh as it confronts this threat and stresses the need to intensify regional and international efforts to prevent and combat terrorism.”

The Secretary General also assured the Government that the UN is prepared to assist in efforts to prevent violent extremism in all its forms, the spokesperson said.

A condemnation also came from the UN tourism agency.

“UNWTO [World Tourism Organization] strongly condemns the hideous attack perpetrated yesterday in a cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” Taleb Rifai, the agency's Secretary-General, said in a statement.

“This is not an attack on Bangladesh but is once again an attack on our way of life, an attack on freedom,” he added.

Mogens Lykketoft, the President of the UN General Assembly, also condemned the terrorist attack.

“We must stand together again terror,” Mr. Lykketoft said. “This deadly and cowardly act must not go unpunished,” he said.

Mr. Lykketoft said he hoped that the perpetrators of this crime would be identified and brought swiftly to justice.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), reiterated his solidarity with the Government of Bangladesh in its efforts to combat all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.

The UN officials all conveyed their heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as the people and Government of Bangladesh.