Gunmen take hostages in Bangladesh's capital, ISIS claims responsibility

Update 3:54 p.m.: Two police officers have been killed in the shootout with at least six gunmen, officials announced. The New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi reported that the Islamic State's news agency Amaq has claimed responsibility for the ongoing standoff. Our original post appears below.

Gunmen have taken an estimated 20 people hostage in a popular cafe near the diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials reported Friday. Several foreigners are among those being held, and three people are reported to be wounded after police exchanged gunfire with the attackers.

Police and security forces have blocked off the area and have a bomb disposal unit on standby as they try to negotiate for the hostages' release. The gunmen's identities and motives have yet to be reported, though one police officer suspected they were Islamic radicalists, the BBC reports.

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This attack is one of many in Bangladesh recently, as violent extremism and political tensions continue to rise despite government efforts to control hostilities. The hostage incident is Friday's second attack, following the murder of a Hindu priest while he was gathering flowers outside his temple in the southwestern district of Jhenaidah.