Ashley May

USA TODAY

The 20 hostages killed during a 10-hour siege on a bakery in the Bangladesh capital traveled there from opposite sides of the globe.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese, an Indian and two students attending a U.S. university were among those killed when militants stormed Holey Artisan Bakery, an eatery popular with foreigns in the diplomatic zone in Dhaka.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also killed two police officers.

20 hostages dead after 10-hour standoff with ISIL in Bangladesh

In Atlanta, Emory University confirmed Abinta Kabir, a U.S. citizen from Miami, Florida, who was visiting friends and family in the area, and Faraaz Hossain were among the dead.

Two Emory University students killed in Bangladesh attack

India's minister of external affairs said Tarushi Jain, 19, who was studying at the University of California at Berkeley was also killed. Jain was an Indian citizen.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the bodies of nine Italian victims were identified and one Italian is unaccounted for, the Associated Press reported. One of the Italian victims was a 47-year-old manager and father of twin girls from northeastern Italy.

Out of eight Japanese nationals eating at the restaurant, seven were killed, according to the Japanese government. They were consultants working on a Japanese government aid project in the area.

Brig General Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury, director of military operations, said the victims were killed execution-style by a sharp weapon long before the launch of a rescue operation, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

The father of one of the hostages said the gunmen tortured anyone who could not recite a verse from the Quran, the Daily Star newspaper reported. Rezaul Karim said his son, Hasnat, was at the restaurant with his wife and children to celebrate his daughter's eighth birthday.

Contributing: Doug Stanglin