The situation is still unfolding but it doesn’t look good.  Initial reports state six to eight heavily armed gunmen shouting “Allahu Akbar” have taken approximately 20 to 30 hostages in a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh at approximately 8pm local time.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A group of as many as nine gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital on Friday night, taking hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces, authorities said.
CBS News confirmed that a police officer was killed in the attack and at least 12 people were injured.
The head of the elite anti-crime force, Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, told reporters Friday night that they were working to save the lives of the people trapped inside the Holey Artisan Bakery. Some foreigners are believed to be among the hostages.
“Some derailed youths have entered the restaurant and launched the attack,” Benazir Ahmed said. “We have talked to some of the people who fled the restaurant after the attack. We want to resolve this peacefully. We are trying to talk to the attackers, we want to listen to them about what they want.”
A huge contingent of security guards cordoned off the area around the restaurant, trading gunfire with the attackers who set off bombs and exchanged gunfire with the security forces.
“Some of our people have been injured. Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside,” Ahmed said. He would not say how many people were trapped inside.
Sumon Reza, a kitchen staffer who escaped the attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, told reporters that the attackers were armed with firearms and bombs as they entered the restaurant around 9:20 p.m. Friday and took customers and staffers hostage at gunpoint.
Jamuna Television, quoting Reza, said the attackers chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) as they launched the attack.  (read more)