3 students at U.S. colleges among Bangladesh victims

Three students studying at colleges in the United States were among the 20 hostages killed in a terror attack in Bangladesh, school officials said Saturday.

The White House confirmed Saturday that a U.S. citizen was among the hostages killed, but did not release any further identification.

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, said two of its students were killed in the attack: Abinta Kabir, of Miami, Florida, a sophomore at the school's Oxford, Georgia, campus who was visiting family and friends in Bangladesh, and Faraaz Hossain, of Dhaka, a junior at the university's Goizueta Business School.

University president James Wagner said in an email to employees he had been in touch with Kabir's mother and that she was in "unspeakable pain" over her daughter's death. In a later statement, Wagner said he had also contacted Hossain's relatives, CBS Atlanta affiliate WGCL reported.

"I have been in touch with a member of the family to express Emory's shock and condolences," Wagner said. "Again as with Abinta, we will want to honor Faraaz's memory in the fall, as the family might find appropriate. In the meantime, please comfort one another and continue to hold these families in your thoughts and prayers."

The university said it was offering counseling to anyone who needed it.

Jahangir Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Association of Georgia, told WGCL he met with the victims earlier this year on a routine visit to see how they were doing in school.

"They were very good students with bright futures. That's why they came here, to finish their high studies," he said.

Jahangir Hossain, who is not related to the victims, said there are over 30,000 people in Georgia with ties to Bangladesh. He said the two students were acquaintances, but he did not know if they were in the same place by coincidence, or maybe attending a special event to which they were both invited.

In New Delhi, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Indian national Tarishi Jain, 19, was also among the victims.

CBS San Francisco station KPIX reported Jain graduated from the American International School in Dhaka and transferred to the University of California at Berkeley in 2015, where she planned to major in economics.

Former classmates told the Los Angeles Times Kabir and Hossain had also attended the American International School.

"We have been in contact with her family to provide assistance in any way that we can and are working closely with other students there to assist them in staying safe and determining whether they leave the area," UC Berkeley Chancellor Dirks said in a statement. "Our counseling services staff and CARE services are available to support our faculty, students and staff on campus as we mourn this tragic loss."

The school was planning a vigil and memorial for Jain, according to KPIX, although a location and date has not been announced.

Jain had been visiting her father, a textile merchant based in Dhaka, sources in India told the Associated Press.

Sanchita Saxena, executive director of Berkeley's Center for Bangladesh Studies, described Jain as "a smart and ambitious young woman with a big heart."

"We're all very devastated to hear the news," she added.

The other hostages killed during the 10-hour standoff included nine Italians, seven Japanese and three Bangladeshis, government sources said.

"All the hostages were killed last night. The terrorists used sharp weapons to kill them brutally," said Brig. Gen. Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury of the Army Headquarters in a news conference Saturday night.

Two Bangladeshi police officers also died from injuries sustained while exchanging gunfire with the attackers Friday night.

Six of the attackers were killed by government troops and at least one was captured alive. It was not immediately clear whether the attackers had a specific goal, and Bangladesh authorities would not say if they had made any demands.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, claimed responsibility, saying it targeted the citizens of "Crusader countries" in the attack, warning that citizens of such countries would not be safe "as long as their warplanes kill Muslims."

The government did not directly comment on the ISIS claim but has denied in the past that the extremist group has a presence in Bangladesh. The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instead has accused her political enemies of orchestrating the violence in order to destabilize the nation -- which the opposition denies.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella cut short a visit to Latin America because of the massacre, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. Italy's soccer players wore black armbands in a sign of mourning during Saturday's European Championship quarterfinals match against Germany.

A Roman Catholic priest in southern Italy, whose 33-year-old sister Simona Monti, a textile firm employee, was killed in the attack expressed hope that her death could contribute toward making a more just world. Rev. Luca Monti said 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."

A Bangladeshi woman, Ishrat Akhond, was also among the dead. She had been holding a dinner meeting with Italian businessmen when she was killed in the siege, according to three of her friends who did want to be named for fear of reprisal. One told the AP, "she was such a loving person, such a good friend." Others posted photographs and messages of disbelief and condolences on her Facebook page.

Ten of the 26 people who were wounded Friday night when the militants opened fire were in critical condition, and six were on life support, according to hospital staff. The injuries ranged from broken bones to gunshot wounds. Most of them were police officers, but one was a civilian. Hospital staff refused to provide any details of their condition on Saturday.