Dhaka/Rome, July 5 (IANS) Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Mario Giro on Tuesday returned to Rome with the bodies of the nine Italians killed in the Dhaka cafe terrorist attack.
A special flight carrying Giro and the bodies of nine Italians flew out of Dhaka around 1.15 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said.
Giro visited the Holey Artisan Bakery where seven gunmen -- who claimed to be from the Islamic State -- on July 1 night killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners.
The Italian victims were Nadia Beenidetti, Vincenzo D'Allestro, Claudia Maria D'Antona, Simona Monti, Maria Riboli, Adele Puglisi, Claudio Cappelli, Christian Rossi and Marco Tondat.
Besides the nine Italians, the others killed were seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi-origin US man and two Bangladeshis.
Some of the Italian victims were apparel entrepreneurs.
Nadia Beenidetti was the managing director of Studio Tex Ltd, a buying house based in Baridhara area of the city.
Vincenzo D'Allestro was also a managing director of a buying house in Gulshan, the high-end diplomatic area of Dhaka.
The Italian government earlier said another man, Jacopo Bioni, was unaccounted for and could be injured or in hiding.
"Loss should strengthen us" was the message conveyed by the officials from both the countries.
"Italy and Bangladesh will work together to combat terror. We will be united in our stance against global militancy," Giro said.
"This shared loss will deepen our ties and cooperation will increase. Together we will win the battle against terror," Alam said.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who has returned to Rome from a visit to Mexico, will be at the airport to receive the bodies.
Six of the Dhaka cafe attackers were gunned down and a seventh was captured alive, Bangladesh police said.
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