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Continuing Coverage of Bangladesh Hostage Situation; Siege is Over, Details Slowly Coming In. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired July 02, 2016 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[01:00:09] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: We continue with our ongoing breaking news in the siege in Bangladesh.

Hello everyone I'm Natalie Allen live from CNN Center in Atlanta. Thank you staying for us.

After more than 13 hours the hostage siege a cafe in the capital siege of Dhaka may finally be over. Japanese government officials say 12 hostages have been rescued. Sri Lanka authorities say two of their national were freed. We're also hearing that most of the terrorist are dead.

Up to eight gunmen were holding as many as 20 people of popular cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter. We don't know yet exactly how many people were there. The local news outlets and witnesses have been reporting they heard gun fire and explosions throughout these several hours. Those may have been part of the police clean up efforts as they clear the building. The siege started Friday but it ended just a short ago, if it's indeed completely over at this point.

Let's go now to CNN's Andrew Stevens. He's been following developments for many hours for us from Hong Kong, even though there's a lot that's unknown. We are starting to hear Andrew about who might have been holdup, been captive in this restaurant, and we can say enough about the fact that all these commandos that storm this restaurant perhaps hold people hostages out alive. Quite amazing.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It is extraordinary if this was indeed an ISIS inspired attack to pull so many hostages out alive. And some of them actually unharmed Natalie. It really is, it is. The word miraculous has been used. I just want to tell you that just getting from the Bangladesh armies spokesman. And this is being quoted by AFP agent from press saying that "Quite the operation is over, the situation is completely under control."

So that would be about 48 hours since we think between six and eight hostage takes stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery. And held -- we understand 20 hostages are both Bangladeshi and foreigners that held them hostage for 12 hours or so, before the operation to stormed the bakery and rescue those hostages.

So here we are, here's where we are at the moment. The Japanese has said -- excuse me, the Japanese Deputy Chief cabinet secretary has said that 12 hostages have been freed in that rescue operation. We don't know the condition of them. We don't know the nationalities yet. We do know that were both Bangladeshs and foreigners inside that building.

We since herd from the Sri Lankan high commission, a Tweet from the Sri Lankan high commission that the minister of foreign affairs saying that two Sri Lankan hostages have survived unharmed, the high commission official has met and said that they are absolutely find and unharmed.

So and we know that the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says there is a possibility that they are Japanese nationals involve in the hostage taking. Apart from that we cannot give any confirmation about who else was in that restaurant at the time.

The U.S. State Department has said that all their official staff or accounted for in Dhaka. But we don't know whether there were any U.S. national there as well. So it's still very much an ongoing process that still fit these pieces of the Jigsaw together.

But at this stage the operation is over, there are survivors as you say, this is extraordinary given that so many of these ISIS attacks are designed to cause maximum amount of death and the hostages takers themselves are usually suicide -- they are suicide attacks.

We know that some of the hostage if not all the hostages takes have been killed. We have, we don't whether there were six or eight. We actually don't know the confirm number. There have been reports that five of the hostages takers have died. There have been reports six have died.

So we don't know at this stage Natalie. A lot still to cover here, but certainly it has been relatively speaking a very, very sort of good result if you like to have what looks like the majority of hostages is taken out alive.

ALLEN: Right, because hour officials that we've interviewing for the past several hours we're saying before the commanders moved in that this would be a tremendously difficult situation going into a restaurant two stories, not knowing what you're walking into. Not knowing if these terrorist have suicide bombs of them.

[01:05:05] There were reports of explosion as this was carried out toward the end. But we don't know really what that was.

But do I understand Andrew that for what we know now, there were two police officers killed early on when this broke out. But there have been no confirmation has there of hostages who have died.

STEVENS: No, that's right. There's a lot of information still hasn't been confirmed, so just a chronology of this and about -- at between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. The attack is came into the restaurant describe as young men charging Allahu Akbar, god is great.

They took some 20 hostages and we know this because that was a number quoted by one of those employees at the bakery at the time who manages to escape. They then basically hold themselves up in there for some 12 hours before the authorities took the decision to storm the building. And negotiation what was fruitless if there were any negotiations at all.

We heard from the government that Bangladesh government that have been attempts that negotiation that they have been rebought by the attackers.

So the decision was given to go in, to storm the building. They went in, in overwhelming force. We're told that the rapid action battalion force which was the responder to this send in something like 100 commandos into the restaurant to deal with the six to eight hostage takers. There was intense gun fire for about 10 to 15 minutes. Again, that a quote from the rapid action battalion deputy director, and then there was silence. Then we started hearing reports that they may have been hostages who'd survived. There have been hostage takers who've been killed.

These are unconfirmed reports, eyewitnesses getting their information from police on the ground and passing it on to us. We then get more reports of explosion, two explosions that we know of Natalie. But it appears that those explosions were, they were been detonated by commandos. It was look more like a clearing operation than ongoing confrontation with the hostage takers. They had 12 hours in that building to prepare for a storming. They may well have set traps. They may have well have been unstable -- ammunition there which needed to be deal with on the spot.

So that may have been what those explosions were about. And after that we started hearing form the Japanese officially through their contacts in Dhaka that's 12 hostages had been release. We don't' know the condition of them. We do know the two Sri Lankans are unharmed. We don't know the condition of the other at this stage or indeed the nationalities.

ALLEN: And I know that these witnesses, these eyewitnesses you talk about. Some of these people live very close by. They were watching this unfold form their balconies. Police didn't clear out the area. They were people were told to say put. But we weren't able to get just for hours and hours. We didn't know anything because of a news blackout.

STEVENS: That's not surprising really as has been seen in the past and go back 2008 in Mumbai that the terror attack in Mumba. When there was a siege at the Taj Palace hotel.

That was broadcast live, every second and it was broke out from 70 different angles. That the terrorist inside could clearly what was going on at least for a long time before power was close off to that -- to the hotel.

So the last thing that the security forces in Dhaka wanted to do was to give any indication to the attackers what they were doing. So there was a news blackout. There was also a very, very deep cordon to establish around the Holey Artisan Restaurant.

And you're right, that people further back residence were not cleared out. A number of eyewitness reports say they heard gunfire. It didn't necessary see anything. But they certainly heard gunfire, and they also heard these explosions. And the eyewitnesses that Jonathan Mann who's been speaking to over the past several hours have been sort of getting their information from police on the ground and sort of passing it along if you like.

So at this stage we really are still in the realm of some conjunction, certainly about numbers about hard numbers, about how many were involve both hostages and hostage takers, and what the conditions are now of those -- all everybody involved.

But we know, well at least we're being told that there have been multiple deaths among the attackers. We don't know if they've all been killed. They were reports say that one may have been taken. We just don't know at this stage. But I suspect if they all clear has not being given by the Bangladesh army. We should expect to get some more concrete information fairly soon, Natalie.

[01:10:05] ALLEN: Right, because what we do know is extraordinary and we haven't even gotten an official report from the government of police on how this incredible operation played out after so many hours there in Dhaka.

Andrew Stevens for us monitoring things in Hong Kong. We thank you so much, Andrew.

Let's bring in Sajjan Gohel now, he's International Security Director for the Asia-Pacific Foundation. And he joins us now form Tokyo. , thank you for staying for us. I know you've been here throughout this hours of coverage.

First of all, I want to ask you what do you make the fact that after so many hours, if commandos moved in. These gunmen are still alive, they are still there. They still have hostages who are alive. They apparently haven't talked at all with police. But did not set off suicide vest, didn't perhaps throw a grenade that officers this around. We don't really know the effects. But it sounds like it has had somewhat of a hopeful ending with the rescue of hostage and the death of these gunmen.

SAJJAN GOHEL, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well Natalie, it does sound more hopeful that it did a few hours ago. I think we should still be cautious because information is yet to be confounded officially by the Bangladesh's authorities and their government has been understandably perhaps tightly controlling the information because we don't want to give oxygen of publicity latitude at terrorist.

But, whichever way we look at this is the biggest terrorist attack that Bangladesh has experience. It's much different to the (inaudible) assassination that the countries that endure for the last couple of years. And unfortunately it set a dangerous president is to what may come in the future.

ALLEN: Right, because I've heard you say earlier even though Bangladesh knew that something like this was very likely to happen in their country. They were perhaps in denial of that. Is that because they didn't want to believe that Al-Qaeda cell or an ISIS cell, we don't really know who is behind this yet could carry out something like this. It's be treat to their country.

GOHEL: Unfortunately there are some countries that don't want to accept that they have a terrorist problem either with Al-Qaeda or with ISIS. In the case of Bangladesh, they have a problem with both Al- Qaeda and ISIS through that affiliates and proxies that operation side of the country.

In many ways what's been going on over the last few years is that, the affiliates of ISIS and Al-Qaeda have been competing with each other as to who can kill more. They've not be sophisticated attacks, mostly toward assassination of bloggers, some foreigners, Japanese, Italians have being killed that religious minorities have been targeted.

But it all leads up. If you don't deal with the problem, if you don't just mantled it, then it grows and expanse, it proliferate them. It transpires into what is taken place today.

ALLEN: When you say if you deal with their problems. We've seen them the government there in Bangladesh roundup thousands of people that perhaps were extremist, trying to attempt down on these individuals attacks on bloggers and riders who've been riding about the dangerous of extremism. But when you talk about going after an ISIS and Al- Qaeda, that is a very big job for a country such as Bangladesh.

GOHEL: It is a huge challenge. But it's one that needs to be address. Bangladesh is a very important geostrategic country closely neighboring India. It's in may ways the gateway between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is a hub that both Al-Qaeda and ISIS have identified. In fact how ISIS specifically have mentioned Bangladesh it's Dabiq (ph) journal the online publican talked about recruiting people from Bangladesh.

Even talking about how they want to escalate attacks there because they see it as of place that they can create ethnic tension, create political economic social consequences.

And the fact that they claim responsibility for this, which is yet to be probably confirmed, illustrates how quickly they want to get a hold of the situation. And I'll be interesting to see how Al-Qaeda reacts because some people are suggesting that they made, have played the role on this.

So, again you see that there is a lack of proper information is to what's happening on the ground. And also this competition between Al- Qaeda and ISIS, and unfortunately innocent people are caught in the middle.

ALLEN: Absolutely. And so you say this is someone of a vulnerable area to be trying to fight back Al-Qaeda and ISIS influence. But it is mainly a secular country, it's -- what over 90 percent Muslim. But this is kind of a new term for this country. This isn't something it seen before.

GOHEL: Well, Bangladesh as you said is very much a secular country. The government, the Awami League is a secular proxy, it has representation across the various religious minorities, including Hinduism, Christianity.

[01:15:00] Where the problem are though is that Bangladesh is still dealing with its history in the aftermath of it's bloody independent. The government instituted what's the called the internal criminal tribunal in which have persecuted members of the Islam is political party, Jamaat-e-Islami who were accused of having a loud trusties to take place during the war of independents.

Now those same people have encouraged their support as many of who are ideologically radical to carry out attacks. And that is fed into the hands of the extremist. So there's a cycle that goes on, that doesn't necessary get enough internal attention but there's a stepping stone process that is lead to the terrorist problems that Bangladesh is experiencing.

ALLEN: And we know that U.S. officials have help trained the RRT there, the Rapid Response Team, to help them in this kind of situations. But for all what's the situation with Bangladesh in the west? Is the west need Bangladesh more or does Bangladesh need the west of they kind of call in a little bit of crossroads?

GOHEL: Is an important question in may ways that both need each other, because Bangladesh is one of the world's largest Muslim countries even though geographically it may not be a large nation. It also, it is important that you mentioned that the U.S. has played a role in training, the Bangladesh military, it's police, it's special operations.

That also hasn't gone unnoticed by the terrorist. ISIS in particular has talked about one of the reason why they want to target Bangladesh, is because U.S. personnel, the military, FBI have been assisting the Bangladesh authorities in counter-terrorism.

So it's important for the west, they see as the country that need assistance that has to be given guidance when it comes to counter- terrorism. But it's also something that terrorist are paying very close attention too, because ultimately they want to target westerns wherever they can. And I think Bangladesh is a convenient location, they will try and take that opportunity as they have done today with the cafe stage.

ALLEN: Yeah, it certain seemed like a hand picked area, did it not, this European style cafe in the middle of diplomatic area, embassy surround this cafe. And let's talk about why the timing of this, at the end of Ramadan, the holiest month for Islam?

GOHEL: Well, the timing is very relevant specially if we're presumed that this was orchestrated by an ISIS affiliate because, the head of ISISs external operation Abu Muhammad al-Adnani issued a message prior to Ramadan calling for the followers of ISIS to make the holy month a bloody month, to carry out tax wherever they can. We seen it in Orlando, at the night club, in France, with the France police chief was killed along with his partner, the bombing of the son bullet at the airport, other attacks in Yemen, in Jordan and now Bangladesh.

And it is a worry, it is a concern that we don't necessarily need ISIS to direct blood, by they can inspire and encourage individuals to take up arms independently. It illustrates just how difficult the problem is because it's not necessarily a central leadership, but there is a central ideology that permeates boundaries, can be used through the internet.

Of course again we need to wait and see whether ISIS is responsible, but we've seen another attack during Ramadan and unfortunately it may not be the last one.

ALLEN: It's that very true too. Pharmacy (ph) individuals who would agree to take out these heinous acts. They have no interest in life as many of us know it is. It just a reason behind this and they know they're going to die. And they don't have a problem with that.

GOHEL: Unfortunately they very much embrace that as much as you and I or the viewers of CNN cherish life. They want to die. They don't necessarily want to be suicide bombers. But they do what's called endemicity operation which is to kill as many people as possible and die in a hail of bullet engaging the police or security forces.

This is something that unfortunately growing. We've seen that tactic used with the gunmen and the Paris attacks, or the Mumbai siege attacks and potentially now something, you know, that is taking place in Bangladesh. And every time a terrorist could be captured. That is such important part of getting information, intelligence, looking at how wide the cell is, are there connections that go beyond just Bangladesh. Is there international and dynamic?

It's very important that more information can be ascertain if its at all possible.

ALLEN: Right. And there had been earlier report that perhaps they did captured one of the terrorist. But I'm not sure if that's confirmed at this point. So we'll wait and see. Can't thank you enough, terrorism expert Sajjan Gohel talking with us in Tokyo. Thank you Sajjan.

[01:19:53] And stay with us here at CNN for more our continuing breaking news. We'll bring you the very latest as we learn more information this Dhaka terror attack that has come to an end.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: And welcome back you're watching CNN breaking news. I'm Natalie Allen in Atlanta.

A siege at cafe in the Bangladesh's capital is now over. That according to the Amaq News Agency which is siding an army spokesman. Japanese official say 12 hostages have been rescued after gunmen storm a popular restaurant on Friday evening in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter.

The attackers held as many as 20 hostages. We don't have an exact number. At least two police officers were killed in the initial attack. Hours later dozens of commandos, up to 100 reported raided the cafe to end the siege. ATN news reported is about one hour ago that a blast was heard at the restaurant. Although that maybe part of a police mopping operation, we just don't know. ISIS has claimed responsibility, but U.S. officials doubt that claim.

We still have no confirmation yet of who then was actually behind this. Earlier CNN's Jonathan Mann spoke with counter-terrorism expert Daveed Gartenstein-Ross for his take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT: And the fact that any hostages at all survived. They can be this initial reports are correct is very good news, specially given that no demands were taken specially given that the Islamic state or ISIS has thought as this a primary suspect given that they claim responsibility. It's not really a group that wants to allow anyone to survive.

And so, that in and of itself has to be considered good news.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: Does it diminish your expectation that this really was ISIS or that it was ISIS or that it was ISIS trained fighters as suppose to ISIS inspired followers?

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: No, it doesn't. Maybe there's interesting that happen here which is that ISIS has it's owned quasi-official these agency. It's one that tries to appear more objective. But it's clearly a part of the organization biggest strategy. It's called Amaq News Agency.

And they actually claimed the attack for ISIS while the attack was still in progress, which is not something that I've seen ISIS or the news agency do previously.

Secondly, it fixes ISIS its ammo. But there's a chance that it's not ISIS as mentioned before -- actually before in the program Al-Qaeda in Indian subcontinent is far stronger in Bangladesh. And I agree with that assessment. But this fixed prices ammo.

I think ISIS has enough of press t be able to execute an attack like this even though they don't have an overwhelming presence. And further more Al-Qaeda has had a much slower strategy in Bangladesh. One which has been focused on attack targets that are seen as kind of acceptable minority targets, Athias (ph) or Hindus or Christians or gay people and not going to war with the state.

This attack is a declaration of war which Al-Qaeda seems to have avoided in Bangladesh today.

[01:25:03] MANN: No, how trouble would you be by the fact that two of the gunmen base on the very, very preliminary word we've had from one police officer. Two of the gunmen are uncounted for, would that be a reason why the operation wouldn't be over. They have to be sure they've got all of them in who were holding guns on these hostages.

GARTENSTEIN-ROSS: Right, as you previous guess mentioned that six, eight is a guess, you know, what we heard ranging from six to eight. And so, as long as they're not sure if they've got all the gunmen, even if they don't know that there are two at large. They'll consider the operation to be ongoing as they methodically (ph) come through to make sure that they're not leaving -- one of the gunmen behind.

But beyond that, the fact that there at least six and quite possible more involve in this operation. I've give rise to another concern, which is that when we've seen massive attack like this in the past. It hasn't just been that the plotters have thought all been attackers. There are many who file logistical support who are backing up the attackers who prove to be an important part of the plot.

The reason I mentioned that is because even as all the government end up being killed or captured. Their probably is a network behind them that help them to get to the point where they are ready to launch this attack. And the Bangladesh authorities need to be looking very carefully. You have lots of killing of Bangladesh, most of them have been against symbol targets.

But the forces of Jihadism are very strong there. And that the way this attack was executed strongly suggests that it's not just the attackers who have concern. But that there is a broader network that was involved in helping them to execute this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross there for us earlier. So again, after a 12 hours standoff, commandos moved in up 100 inside a restaurant, not knowing what they're going to confront when they get there, just how dangerous and complicated was this operation. We'll talk with expert about that next.

More of our breaking news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: And welcome back. After more than 14 hours a siege at a cafe in Dhaka Bangladesh is finally over. That according to AFP news agency, which his quoting an army spokesman, gunmen stormed a popular restaurant on Friday evening in the diplomatic quarter. The attackers holding as many as 20 hostages and killed two police officers in a gun batter earlier on, hour later commandos raided the cafe to end the siege. We haven't heard anything more official from the Bangladesh government about the operation and how it ended.

[01:30:05] But we are hearing from other countries because as we've said this was a diplomatic area. And our Andrew Stevens has more about that, and he joins us now from Hong Kong, Andrew.

STEVENS: Natalie, thank you. I've just getting some information coming into us now. We're getting some more fax coming out about the numbers.

This is from our journalist on the ground in Dhaka. And he has been speaking to the brigadier general of the Bangladesh army. Obviously one of the very senior miliary members of the army, who says that 14 hostages have been rescued, we knew that that's what the some reports are been saying and six gunmen have been shot dead. So 14 hostages rescued, six gunmen shot dead.

Now that 14 number is actually an increase of two on what we've been hearing a little earlier in the day from the Japanese deputy secretary for the cabinet. Not the Japanese have been close contact with their counter part in Dhaka because it's understood there's a very high possibility that there are Japanese nationals who were in the restaurant at the time.

And now we're hearing now that 14 of the hostages have been rescued and the six gunmen are dead. What we don't know at this stage Natalie. What we can't confirm at this stage is exactly how many gunmen were in the bakery at the time. The Holey Artisan Bakery and how many hostages where there and how many gunmen where there.

The reports are between six and eight. If it is six, that's mean all the gunmen were killed when commandos stormed that building a few hours ago. If there were eight there, it means they could have some custody because this crisis is now being officially declared over. At this stage we just have to wait and see.

We don't know the condition of the hostages at this stage. Although we have heard from the Sri Lankan high commission who Twitted to say that two Sri Lankan nationals were also in that hostage siege. They were rescued. And they were rescued unharmed, the actual official from the Sri Lankan high commission has met and spoken through those hostages and they are unharmed.

So this is all really, if you go back just a few hours, this is extraordinarily good news from the situation that was being painted on the ground while that crisis was in play. There were -- the gunmen inside they were -- that ISIS had claimed responsibility. ISIS attack tend to take as many lives as possible in the attackers tend to be suicide attackers.

So to have a result where -- what looks like the majority of the hostages who were inside that restaurant on the time has been rescued is really quite an extraordinary turnaround from where we were just a few hours ago.

I can just tell you a little bit about the actual storming of the restaurant. We know -- we have been told by the Bangladesh security that up to 100 commandos were involved in that. So, really an overwhelming force, moved in, there was as describe as intense gunfire for about 10 to 15 minutes followed by a period of silence.

We didn't start of getting reports unconfirmed reports of hostages being taking out. And then we heard reports of two explosions, which appear to have been more clean up operation, sweeping up and making -- and securing the area basically.

So those explosions were not to do with the actual battle against the gunmen, but they were cleaning, perhaps the ammunitions, booby traps something like that. So at the moment we're getting the Bangladesh army confirming that 14 hostages have been rescued out of what we think a 20 and that six gunmen are dead out of what we think of between six and eight, Natalie.

ALLEN: All right. And hopefully those other two are in custody. We'll wait and hear more information about that it's really remarkable as well. Andrew, we haven't heard any information about any of those commandos being injured in this firefight. But that is yet to be determined.

Thank you Andrew Stevens once again for us from Hong Kong.

Let's get more now on the security questions raised by these attacks. Steve Moore, it's a CNN Law Enforcement Contributor. He's retired from the FBI and joins me live via Skype from Los Angeles. Again, Steve thanks for hanging with us, it just ordeal because earlier I was -- hours ago I was hearing you say that if they police were to move in on this restaurant how terribly challenging that would be to take it back and get these gunmen and free hostages. And from what we're hearing that happened.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: That exactly right. I am sitting here just amazed. In a very good way at what they did.

[01:35:08] And when you heard that 100 of the RAB guys went in against six terrorist, don't think that it was 100 guns against six because you have to go in through three or four entrances at the most maybe, you might get 12 guns on the hostages or on the hostage takers at one time. You're not, it's not going to be 100 against six because you're stack way back. The guys in the back can't shoot.

So this was certainly by all appearance and by what I'm hearing and going by statistics alone. This is an amazing assault.

ALLEN: Absolutely. And you would said that this RAB had been trained in part by U.S. officials who assisted them when they had a good reputation as far as being able to perform their job. I want to ask the fact that they waited to till daylight hours and sat through darkness, did that have any significant from the timing to you?

MOORE: It's interesting to me. I would -- I again, my curiosity has peak on this. FBI hostage teams and most FBI SWAT teams are hostage rescue oriented. We like to operate at night. We like to operate with undercover of darkness when that was in our favor. It is possible that the Bangladeshi RAB operates much more effectively in daylight. I do believe daylight operations give some of the advantage back to the hostage takers.

But I can't sit here and argue with what they did. I'm just, you know, I'm going with the numbers and it appears to me that hat whatever choice they made was appropriate base on what I'm hearing.

ALLEN: And as you talk we're looking at this, you know, heavy weaponry that they brought in there fortified vehicle from such that they weren't messing around when they decided to move in and I also want to ask you since we know that terrorist historically are wanting to kill as many people as possible. And have a dead wish for themselves as well.

What were doing sitting there at these hours perhaps they're alive and there are hostages that are alive?

MOORE: I don't know, seriously that -- these calls into question at least in my mind. The level of training that these hostage takers had. I am thinking that they were battle-hardened people off the Iraqi front. They appeared -- when the RAB came in, an experienced suicidal terrorist would have turn his guns not toward the RAB but would have turn his guns toward the hostages is horrible as that sound.

It appears that they got into a 15 minutes gun battle with the RAB which is not how ISIS usually acts, which is not how Al-Qaeda usually acts. They are in it for the body count.

And so, yes I'm -- I suspect we're going to learn a lot from this because it didn't follow right down what the list of the things we know to be true about ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

ALLEN: Right, they didn't know when they were going in. They did have bombs? Did they have suicide vest? Apparently not, they did lob some grenades at the beginning and that's how many people got injured. But the fact that they didn't have suicide vest says something.

MOORE: That's interesting to me that, you know, everybody going back and forth Al-Qaeda versus ISIS. The fact that they use off the shell explosive rather than ISIS who usually creates their own, their TATP, they make it like apparently they did in Istanbul last week. They make themselves and then they -- it's a blitz attack and they kill and kill and they tend to not get into hostage situation.

This could be a sign of that it was Al-Qaeda. The thing about Al-Qaeda though is they don't -- they round on killing innocent Islam adherence. So it could be that part of the reason that a lot of hostages weren't killed, is that it could be Al-Qaeda. And they refrain from killing Muslim. I don't know, but these -- again, a lot of people are going to be spending a lot of gears trying to figure out what's going on here.

[01:34:58] ALLEN: And I want to ask you as well. So you talk about Al- Qaeda, talk about ISIS and can we look at the larger picture of the fact that it sickening that both ISIS and Al-Qaeda are kind of battling at each other for this territory of Bangladesh?

MOORE: They're battling basically for everything right now. If you, you know, the crude explanation of this is, is Al-Qaeda is Myspace and ISIS is Facebook. One is kind of old school, one is the new thing on the block. And Al-Qaeda is losing personnel, leadership and mainly donations, the money, the life blood that they live on to ISIS because ISIS is making these flashes. So this could be Al-Qaeda in the Indian peninsula.

This could be or Indian subcontinent, I'm sorry. This could be their big splash to try and get back in the news when ISIS seems to be sucking the air out of the terrorist room.

ALLEN: We appreciate your thoughts. It's a remarkable story here that we're hearing and as we've been talking about did not end in the worst way at all. Terrorist dead, people taken out alive. Steve Moore, we thank you again.

MOORE: Thank you. ALLEN: Well' have move our coverage right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Welcome you're watching CNN breaking news. The Bangladesh new army say a siege at a cafe in Dhaka is over. And that 14 hostages have been rescued after hours and hours of being held by terrorist. Sri Lanka says two it's nationals were among those rescued.

The gunmen stormed the popular restaurant on Friday evening in about 8:35 in the evening there. It's an diplomatic quarter. The attackers held as many as 20 hostages and killed two police offers in a gun battle at the beginning. The army says six gunmen were killed at this standoff ended -- ISIS excuse me, claimed responsibility. But U.S. officials are doubting that claim.

We turn now to the suicide bombings at the Turkey airport. The U.S. congressman says a well-known terrorist from Russia organized the attacks on Istanbul's airport earlier this week. One of the 43 victims was the chief, a pediatric set in here at Tunisian military hospital and a professor of medicine.

Here is Senior International correspondent Nima Elbagir about the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL: The men who orchestrated this horror and unleash it on Istanbul's Ataturk Airport Tuesday, may now be known. Two of the suicide bombers who carried out the plot are being named by Turkey's state news agency.

Fighting an anonymous prosecution source, it report Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov carried out the attacks.

As to the man who directed the operation U.S. officials tell CNN Akhmed Chatayev an ISIS lieutenant from Chechnya is likely behind the plot.

REP. MIKE MCCAUL, (R) TEXAS: He traveled to Syria on many occasions and then became one of the top lieutenants to the minister of war for the ISIS operations.

[12:45:04] ELBAGIR: Chatayev is notorious with entire networks going by the nickname Akhmed One-Arm.

JILL DOUGHERTY, KENNAN INSTITUTE ADVISORY BOARD: He was missing one arm. Use that -- reportedly used that fact to argue when he went to Europe to get refugees status. He said I have been tortured by the Russians.

The U.S. placed him on the terrorist list just last year but he's been around for a long time.

ELBAGIR: Investigators are digging in trying to find out more about the men seen running to the terminals brandishing weapons and detonating suicide bombs.

Turkey's President today condemning their actions and vowing to fight.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (Through Translator): Terror and terrorists do not have religion, do not have nations, do not have a motherland. We are going to fight them with our soldiers, with our police and with our village guards.

ELBAGIR: 24 people including 15 foreigners have now been detained. According to Turkish state media police are also asking local residence about this security image showing these three men believed to be suspects.

Turkish authorities told us they believed the three attackers hold up for a month in an apartment in the Fatih district in Istanbul.

The three men they say came directly from Raqqa. Whether the investigation unfolds families are burying their loved ones.

Dr. Fathi Bayoudh knew ISIS all too well. His son had reportedly joined the group as a medic last year. A family friend says Bayoudh had been in Istanbul to help negotiate his sons rescue from the terror group, only to have extremely take his life instead.

Nima Elbagir, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Every victim of course has a heart-wrenching story. His family mourned the loss in the attack. (inaudible) has the story of one of the youngest victims of the bombing at the airport. A young Palestinian girl who escape with her life but loss a parent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 3-year-old Rafeef survived the horror Tuesday's attack. Her mother Nisreen did not.

No one can explain to Rafeef what happened or where her mother is. Members of Turkey's Palestinian community are taking care of Rafeef keeping her distracted and smiling.

Her father Marwan can barely, he lost his wife. His friend Hammad (ph) lost his wife too. Hammad is still on hospital in critical condition, his 3-year-old son Rian (ph) is on life support.

The two Palestinian families arrived from Saudi Arabia where they lived for short holiday in Istanbul as they prepare to leave the airport the terrorist struck.

Rafeef was in her mother's arms when the Nisreen was shot dead. Rafeef was his by shrapnel in her leg.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Through Translator): The can't say they came to fight the military and the pressers (ph) they walked amongst us, they could see children Marwan says. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her family might so many here are Muslim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Through Translator): People who claim to be Muslims with no mercy. I will teach my daughter not to hate, to love everyone, I will give her the best life he says.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Thursday night Marwan returned to the airport to put his wife's coffin on a plane. He lead an Islamic prayer for the dead. Marwan has promised Nisreen who would take her home to the Palestinian territories to celebrate the Muslim festival I believe next week for their family, instead they will gather to mourn her.

(Inaudible) CNN Istanbul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Israel says its aircraft to target Hamas sites in Gaza after a rocket fire from the Palestinian territory within Israeli's city near its border. We're seeing video of the rocket strike now sighting government sources Jerusalem post before that rocket hit and emptied pre-school, it said no physical injuries were reported but the building sustained significant damage.

As you can see the rocket attack followed Israel sealing off parts of the West Bank, the lock down is in response to a series of attacks on Israeli there including the stabbing death of a U.S. Israeli teen in the settlement this past week.

[01:49:38] We'll have more breaking news for you on the terror attack in Dhaka. How it was carried over so many hours and how it ended. That's next.

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ALLEN: If you're just joining us. We'll continue to bring you the latest breaking news out of Dhaka, Bangladesh. After more than 13 hour the hostage siege there is over. A Bangladeshi army spokesman says they rescued 14 people and killed six gunmen, up to eight gunmen stormed a cafe earlier in the cities diplomatic quarter Friday night just a little bit after 8:45 local time.

Commandos move in, many hours ago. ISIS has claimed responsibility for this but U.S. officials have doubts and said pointing to perhaps Al- Qaeda both trying to inroads in the country of Bangladesh somehow someone did.

Let's go now to CNN's Andrew Stevens, he's following the developments from Hong Kong and slowly but surely we're starting to get more information, more critical details. Andrew, hello.

STEVENS: Yeah. Hi, Natalie. It's slowly, slowly we are. It is taking a long time. There was a complete news blackout during the siege which lasted for close to 12 hours. So in that time we were, it was very difficult to get any information at all about the number of hostages, the number of attackers and what was being done whether there are negotiation actually being carried out or not. Slowly we're getting sort of clearly picture. It seems as if that there was very minimal amount of negotiation where undertaken. It seems the gunmen were not interested in negotiating which did sort of point to a very great outcome indeed if they weren't interested, in demanding anything why would they taken these hostages in the first place.

But as it happens, it has been a surprisingly good resolution to this. So as you said that the Bangladesh army is saying that 14 hostages were rescued, we think the total number involve was 20, so that would be a majority of hostages escaping or being rescued. We don't know what condition how seriously injured they are.

I can tell you that two of the hostages were unharmed. They are two Sri Lankan national they Sri Lankan high commission twitting that a senior official had met the two and they were in good health. The Japanese have been supplying -- some of the information. It appears if they're Japanese involved in the who are at the restaurant at the time the gunmen stormed in.

Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister has ordered them basically to special task force really to look in to exactly who is involved and how they were involved. At this stage we don't know any details. I was in fact that Japanese are saying there is a high possibility that they were Japanese nationals involve in this. We do know that they work foreign nationals and also Bangladesh, young Bangladeshi's as well.

This was a very popular place the Holey Artisan Bakery. It was in the diplomatic area of Dhaka. It's a wealthy area. It was a European style eatery which did attract a lot of diplomatic types of stuff, a lot of ex-Patriot (ph) workers went there. And went there quite frequently as well as a younger Bangladeshi as well, so at this stage we still don't know the breakdown of the nationalities of how expert how many foreign national is there and how many locals were there, Natalie.

But I'm sure the information is going to start coming out now. So now the seat is officially over. So at 14 hours from the time that the government stormed that restaurant to the time the Bangladesh army said that the operation have been complete.

[01:55:08] ALLEN: Yes, absolutely amazing as we see pictures of the inside of that restaurant. You think where were those hostages that were able to be rescued. Its look a little bit of a big place. We'll talk more about that as we push on here in our coverage.

But for now Andrew Stevens we'll let you got. We'll see you again. Thanks so much for bringing us the latest.

Well, one of our best accounts this tragedy came actually from an eyewitness, his name is Fayad Monaim (ph) who talk with police at the scene. And he was giving us reports every time he came out at his apartment and told us what he was hearing during this news blackout.

So here is what he told CNN a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went down stairs and I talk to few cops. So may said was I don't know it's all (inaudible). But apparently they get pickup a lot of them and appointed to this cop they capture some. But (inaudible) right now they confirm that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, you're breaking up. I understand you just spoke to one police officer and you can't confirm what his told you. But can you tell us again what the message was he pass on to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He pass on that five of the gunmen have been killed. Two of them unaccounted for and one they captured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, five gunmen dead, two unaccounted for, one captured. So, did seem to suggest as best we can tell from this information that this was over. He seems have been accounted for all of the eight gunmen who were believe who have been involved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He become (inaudible) kind of delayed back and will be clear. So it seems like it was over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you say anything about the captives, about the hostages?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said (inaudible) kind of sure but lot of them (inaudible) some will say. I met one of the hostage brothers. And he said that (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, once again it's I don't know it's my earpiece or your phone connection. Can you repeat what you said? This is crucial to tell. I want to make sure we've got it right. What is happen to the hostages?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as we know some of them have been killed. I think what the people in (inaudible) are saying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some have been killed. So the faith of at least some of the hostages is unknown. Once again, just to be clear, your not hearing from an official source. You're hearing it from either police officer or relative of one of the hostages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the indications are mixed. Some did not survive the encounter and some may have. We are extremely grateful details are very, very hard to come by. We're grateful for your work. I'm cautioning our viewers once again that none of this has confirmed. You made a good faith effort at the scene to find out as best you can, what you can and you've done the old man (ph) work for us.

We're still waiting to here from officials. And still I gather in your time down on the street or now. No, burst of traffic, no sirens, no ambulances, not much activity at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No movement. (inaudible), so I want to road I mean just like no movement, nothing is going on. So I have clear view of the area. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did -- when you were down there, you had a clear view of the area. What did you see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot cops. It was kind of like there is got to be (inaudible) on them. And there's really no movement. There was not -- there was no panic, no rushing, nothing is going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: He was amazing and we so appreciate that eyewitness, that neighbor helps against out early.

So again, we have the official account. So far that a 14 were rescued and six gunmen were killed. Monaim (ph) had said that one was captured, that has not been confirmed. But we really appreciate him helping us out in the early on of this operation.

We'll have more for you right after this.

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