The terrorists who massacred 20 foreigners and Bangladeshi at a popular cafe here were highly educated and most came from wealthy families, a minister said on Sunday.
"They are all highly educated young men and went to university. No one is from a madrassa," the Bangladeshi media quoted Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan as saying.
Asked why they would have become militants, The Daily Star quoted Khan as saying: "It has become a fashion."
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the massacre. The militants, who seized the cafe on Friday night, also killed two policemen.
Six of the seven attackers were shot dead. The seventh one was arrested.