Twenty two innocent lives were lost in the attack at Holey Artisan Bakery last Friday. Seven gunmen barged into the café-restaurant around 8:30pm carrying firearms, bombs and swords and took all the customers hostages. After a 12-hour holdup, army-led joint forces managed to rescue thirteen of them, killing six of the gunmen and taking one into custody.
Here is a compilation of the profile of most of the victims who lost their lives.
5 BANGLADESHI CITIZENS
Rabiul Karim, 34, assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch of police died while fighting to rescue hostages on Friday.
Rabiul, established a kindergarten named “Kabi Nazrul Bidyasiri” at his village in 2007 to fulfill his father's dream.
He set up a school named “Blooms” for physically-challenged children at the village. He used to bear all the cost of the school where 36 students study.
“My brother (Rabiul) went to our village home on Thursday and distributed clothes among relatives and villagers. He was supposed to go home today [Saturday]. Unfortunately, we are now carrying his body there,” Shams said.
Salauddin Khan, 49, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station suffered splinter wounds in his throat. He bled excessively, said DMCH and Medicine Department's Assistant Professor Sohel Mahmud, who performed the autopsy on the body.
Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, 20, grandson of Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group and Shahnaz Rahman, and son of Simeen Hossain, managing director, Eskayef Bangladesh Limited, and Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain. He was completing his undergraduate studies at the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and came to Dhaka on May 18 to spend his summer holidays.
Abinta Kabir, 19, a US citizen, was a student of Oxford College of Emory University in the US. She came to Dhaka on June 27 for to visit her family and friends for the summer holiday. She is the daughter of the chairperson of Elegant Group that owns Lavender Superstore in Gulshan. Emory president James Wagner said he had been in contact with Abinta’s mother, who was in "unspeakable pain" after receiving news of the death of her daughter: "Please, as you are inclined, direct your kindest thoughts and sincerest prayers in her behalf and that of her family," Wagner wrote.
Ishrat Akhond, 45, worked as a human resources director at ZXY International FZCO and Arts Provocateur at Institute of Asian Creatives, Dhaka.
According to her relatives and friends, she was always jolly, cheerful and loving. On June 26, Ishrat updated her Facebook status: “Key to happiness is to stay away from negative people, even if you know them for long. Stay blessed, stay happy.”
The same day she shared a post that read: “Be a lover, not a fighter. But always fight for what you love.”
In another post on June 29, she wrote” “Happiness for all ... be blessed, be happy”.
1 INDIAN CITIZEN
Tarishi Jain, 19, an Indian citizen who is a resident in Bangladesh, was in the country for summer vacation and was among those trapped inside the café. She was studying Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, her father Ziam Sanjeev’s friend Rashid Hassan Khan told The Daily Star. She was awarded an internship program by Eastern Bank Limited in 2016 and her project was on EBL-commerce growth opportunity in Bangladesh.
9 ITALIAN CITIZENS
Italian news site http://www.corriere.it/ profiled the victims. Here are the translated excerpts.
Vincenzo D'Allestro, 46, was a native of Caserta, Piedimonte Matese, and moved to Acerra (Naples) this past October. Vincenzo was born in Wetzikon, Switzerland. His wife, Maria Gaudio, is a native of Glossop. Vincenzo and Maria were married in 1993.
Nadia Benedetti, 52, was in Bangladesh for work. She was managing director of StudioTex Limited, a company with headquarters in London and its branch office in Dhaka. Her niece, Giulia, wrote on FB, translated (awkwardly on my part) from Italian: "Now we have lost the last hope, my aunt, Nadia Benedetti, who was brutally killed in the attack yesterday in Bangladesh. We will not see each other again; we will not talk, will not comment on fashion; we're never going to sing together again. She had lived in Italy, Kenya, Bangladesh and never gave up, even in the most difficult moments. I ask you friends, relatives, DO NOT FORGET; do not lose her memory; do not forget what happened; do not let these crazy people commit more massacres; do not let them win. I express our solidarity to the families of all the victims and survivors of the tragedy. We'll miss you, aunt."
Cristian Rossi, 47, manager of Feletto Umberto (Udine), was a father of three year-old twin girls. He had intended to return to Italy on Thursday, but had delay his trip home. It appears he also had his own company, Fibres Ltd, a consulting firm and brokerage in the textiles sector with operating units in Bangladesh and China.
Marco Tondat, father of a six year-old daughter. Marco was a young businessman in the textile sector of Cordovado (Pordenone) who worked for Studio Tex Limited.
Claudia Maria D'Antona, 56, Managing Director of Fedo Trading Ltd, an Italian textile company operating in Bangladesh. She lived in Dhaka for more than 20 years with her husband, Gian Galeazzo Boschetti, the only Italian attack survivor. They were together in the restaurant at dinner but he managed to escape. Claudia graduated with a law degree from the University of Turin and had volunteered for the Green Cross, an organization focused on the challenges of security, poverty and environmental degradation and sustainability. This remarkable woman had also been a paramedic, a first responder in the 1980-1981 earthquake in Irpinia and during the fire of the cinema Statute of Turin in 1983.
Maria Rivoli (or Riboli, sourced both ways), 33, of Lombard, lived in Solza with husband and 3 year old daughter. Maria was on a business trip; she worked in textiles. She was in Bangladesh for several months. Five of the Italians who died in Dhaka, it is believed, knew each other and were socializing at the Bakery when one of the terrorists launched a grenade under their table. Condolences are pouring in from friends and family on her FB page.
Adele Puglisi, 50, was from Catania. She was planning to travel home Saturday to Italy. Adele started working at Artsana as Quality Control Manager of a group in textiles.
Claudio Cappelli, 45, lived in Vedano al Lambro, in the province of Monza. For more than five years he worked in Bangladesh with his textile company, which produced t-shirts, clothing and bedding. Honorary consul general of Bangladesh in Veneto, the lawyer Gianalberto Scarpa Basteri, says of Claudio (again, awkward translation from Italian on my part): "He was excited about his work; he had a positive experience in Bangladesh, saying it was a country where you could work very well ... I cannot understand how this happened ... the Gulshan neighborhood is full of embassies and registered offices of large companies in Bangladesh. There are checkpoints and you can only enter with a pass. It is, or rather was, a quiet and safe neighborhood. I am amazed about this attack." Claudio's sister said: "These are tragic moments for all of us, we are shocked by the action of these infamous bloody murderers. We never thought such a thing could happen."
Simona Monti, 33, was seven months pregnant. She was returning home soon from a long vacation to deliver her child back in Italy. Her brother hopes his family's suffering and his sister's bloodshed can contribute toward making a more just world. Rev. Luca Monti is a priest in southern Italy. He says he hopes "this experience of martyrdom for my family and the blood of my sister Simona can help contribute to building a more just and brotherly world." Simona had lived in the town of Magliano Sabino, an hour's drive from Rome.
7 JAPANESE CITIZENS
According to AFP, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, five men and two women died in the attack. They were among eight Japanese nationals eating at the restaurant. One man who had been shot was rescued, and being treated at a hospital. The Japanese were consultants working on a Japanese government aid project in Dhaka.