Bangladeshis also killed alongside foreign victims in Dhaka cafe attack

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As families bury their dead and start coming to terms with their loss following Friday's attack in Dhaka's diplomatic zone that killed 20, police say some of the gunmen attended elite schools and universities.
From top left: Mr Faraaz Hossain, 20, and Ms Ishrat Akhond, 45, from Bangladesh; Ms Tarishi Jain, 19, from India; and two of the seven Japanese victims, Mr Makoto Okamura, 32, and Mr Koyo Ogasawara, 56. (Centre from left): Ms Abinta Kabir, 18, a US citizen who described herself as being “from Dhaka”, and Italians Mr Christian Rossi, 47, Mr Vincenzo D’Allestro, 46, Ms Maria Riboli, 34, and Ms Nadia Beenidetti, 52. (Bottom from left): Italians Ms Simona Monti, 33, Mr Marco Tondat, 39, Ms Adele Puglisi, 54, Mr Claudio Cappelli, 45, and Ms Claudia Maria D'Antona, 56.

NEW YORK • The attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka killed 20 people who were thriving in an interconnected world.

Nine of the victims were Italian, most of whom worked in the apparel trade. Seven were Japanese experts in Dhaka to help improve the city's chronic traffic congestion. Three were students at American universities who had gone to high school together in Dhaka, and one was a Bangladeshi woman who worked for non-profit groups and was passionate about the arts.

Already one is being hailed as a hero. Mr Faraaz Hossain, a 20-year- old Bangladeshi, was allowed to go free but he chose to stay with his friends, Ms Abnita Kabir and Ms Tarishi Jain, according to a hostage.

Businessman Rezaul Karim, whose son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were taken hostage, told The Daily Star: "My daughter-in-law told me that she heard a Bangladeshi youth refuse to leave the restaurant when militants offered to free him. They wouldn't let his friends go."

News of Mr Faraaz's courage has earned him respect on social media. Many have posted Facebook tributes to the youth. Mr Faraaz, a graduate of Emory University's Oxford College, was from Dhaka and had planned to attend the university's business school.

From top left: Mr Faraaz Hossain, 20, and Ms Ishrat Akhond, 45, from Bangladesh; Ms Tarishi Jain, 19, from India; and two of the seven Japanese victims, Mr Makoto Okamura, 32, and Mr Koyo Ogasawara, 56. (Centre from left): Ms Abinta Kabir, 18, a US citizen who described herself as being "from Dhaka", and Italians Mr Christian Rossi, 47, Mr Vincenzo D'Allestro, 46, Ms Maria Riboli, 34, and Ms Nadia Beenidetti, 52. (Bottom from left): Italians Ms Simona Monti, 33, Mr Marco Tondat, 39, Ms Adele Puglisi, 54, Mr Claudio Cappelli, 45, and Ms Claudia Maria D'Antona, 56.

Ms Abinta, 18, was a US citizen, but on Facebook she described herself as being "from Dhaka". She, too, was from Emory's Oxford College.

Ms Tarishi, the lone Indian citizen killed in the terrorist attack, attended the University of California, Berkeley and was described as a vivacious woman by relatives. Her family had moved to Dhaka from Singapore less than a decade ago, and her father set up a flourishing garment manufacturing and export business. But they remained Indian citizens.

Among the Italian victims was Ms Adele Puglisi, 54, from Catania, Sicily. She managed the Dhaka office of a large Italian company that makes children's clothes.

"She had a smile for everyone," Mr Sebastiano Costanzo, a childhood friend, said. "She made friends everywhere she went."

One of the Japanese victims, Mr Makoto Okamura, 32, was engaged to be married next year, his father told TV Asahi. A graduate of Nihon University, he worked for Almec Corporation, an urban and transportation consulting firm, and specialised in traffic congestion projects in South-east Asia.

NEW YORK TIMES, THE DAILY STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 05, 2016, with the headline Bangladeshis also killed alongside foreign victims in Dhaka cafe attack. Subscribe