Dhaka siege: Razaul Karim, right, and Hosne Ara Karim, center, whose son and daughter-in-law were rescued from the restaurant attacked by heavily armed militants, wait for them in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (PTI Photo) Dhaka siege: Razaul Karim, right, and Hosne Ara Karim, center, whose son and daughter-in-law were rescued from the restaurant attacked by heavily armed militants, wait for them in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (PTI Photo)

On Friday evening, many people headed to the popular Holey Artisan bakery and restaurant, popular among residents of Gulshan, an affluent neighborhood where most of the foreign embassies are located. The restaurant overlooks a lake and on pleasant evenings, diners often choose to eat outdoors.

The evening took a horrific turn when some militants attacked the restaurant, beginning a bloody 12-hour siege that killed 20 civilians, all foreign nationals.

Eyewitness accounts reveal why that might have happened.

READ: Live updates on the Dhaka hostage crisis

Rezaul Karim, father of a Bangladeshi businessman who was an eyewitness to the scene, said the attackers did not harm any hostage who could recite verses from the Islamic holy book, Quran. The businessman who was rescued along with his family in the morning.

Karim said his son, Hasnat, had gone to the restaurant along with his wife and two children to celebrate his elder daughter’s birthday when the attack began. Hasnat called his father soon after.

See photos: Dhaka siege: On the attack site

“He told me, ‘Please save us, please!’ And he hung up,” Karim said.

According to the businessman’s account, which he told his father, the ones who could not recite verses from the Quran were tortured and killed.

Also read: Hindu priest attacked, 2nd in last 2 days

“The gunmen asked everyone inside to recite from the Quran. Those who recited were spared. The gunmen even gave them meals last night,” Karim said.

READ: Bangladesh’s worst hostage crisis ends, 20 foreigners killed with sharp weapons by ISIS militants

He said detectives were questioning Hasnat and his family as part of the investigation.

(with inputs from AP)

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