Security threats put Australian Bangladesh party on hold

An Australian-organised Glitter Ball in Bangladesh was postponed indefinitely yesterday because of specific security threats.

An Australian-organised Glitter Ball, billed as the “most highly ­anticipated event in the Dhaka expat calendar”, was postponed indefinitely yesterday because of specific security threats as the Australian cricket team’s Bangladesh tour looked increasingly ­likely to be cancelled.

The Australian understands organisers of the party, which ­annually attracts up to 500 revellers and was to have been held at the Radisson Blu this Friday, had been advised to cancel after intelligence agencies intercepted ­terrorist chatter targeting Australian events and interests in ­Bangladesh.

The Department of Foreign ­Affairs and Trade upgraded its Bangladesh travel advisory last Friday, warning Australians in the South Asian nation to “exercise a high degree of caution” and urging all to “reconsider the need to ­travel” to the southeast port city of Chittagong, where the Australian cricket team was to play its first Test.

That prompted Cricket Australia to announce on Saturday it was postponing the team’s scheduled Monday departure for the two- Test tour, pending security consultations. A further upgrade of the travel risk was issued last night after the fatal shooting on Monday of an Italian aid worker by alleged ­Islamic State militants as he jogged through Dhaka’s leafy and heavily secured diplomatic zone.

The Australian government ­responded by advising staff in Dhaka to travel only by vehicle for the time being.

Islamic State reportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting in an online statement picked up by the Site Intelligence Group.

If confirmed, it would mark the group’s first attack in Bangladesh, a country already grappling with homegrown Islamic extremists who have hacked to death four secular bloggers this year.

Dhaka police said yesterday they had no leads on the three ­assailants who rode up alongside Cesare Tavella, an aid worker with inter-church charity ICCO, and shot him at least three times.

The Glitter Ball, organised and heavily attended by Australian and New Zealand expats, has ­acquired a reputation among Dhaka’s small expatriate community. Tickets sell out the ­moment they go on sale and ­attendees work for months with specialty tailors on elaborate ­costumes for the night.

One former Dhaka resident who attended the party a few years ago described it as good-natured “drunken madness”.

Cricket Australia’s security team, which flew into Dhaka at the weekend for consultations with Australian and Bangladeshi officials, returned to Australia yesterday to brief the team.