Former classmates identify three Dhaka terrorists

Three of the terrorists who slaughtered 20 people in the Bangladeshi capital city have been identified by their former friends after their photographs were released.

One of the terrorists, Nibras Islam, has been recognised by his former classmates in the privately-run North South University in Dhaka, bdnews24.com reported on Sunday.

An expatriate Bangladeshi has posted on Facebook a photo of one Mir Sabih Mubashsher along with the photo of an attacker.

He quoted one of Mubashsher's classmates in Scholastica School in Dhaka as saying that Mubashsher went missing in March before his A-Level exam.

A Mahbub Rajib posted a family photo of Rohan Imtiaz also from Scholastica, known as a school for the children of the well-to-do in Dhaka.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the macabre killing of the 20 people, mostly foreigners, in a cafe in Dhaka on Friday evening.

Six of the attackers were also killed. The attackers reportedly shouted Islamic slogans when they set upon the innocents at Holey Artisan Bakery, in Dhaka's upscale diplomatic heart of Gulshan.

The assailants killed two policemen who tried to enter the cafe, after taking a number of hostages.

Army commandos stormed the eatery on Saturday morning and rescued 13 hostages, killing six attackers and arresting another.

The army said 20 foreigners were found dead on the premises during the raid.

Terrorism observer group SITE published the photos of the attackers on Saturday night.

Police have also released photos of the gunmen killed during the raid.

Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said five of the dead gunmen were listed as militants and police had been looking for them.

Police identified them as 'Akash', 'Bikash', 'Don', 'Bandhon', and 'Ripon'.