Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and ambassadors from India, the United States, Japan, and Italy paid tribute to the victims of the July 1, 2016, Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack, marking the eighth anniversary on Monday.

Diplomats including Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, US Ambassador Peter Haas, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, and Japanese Ambassador Iwama Kiminori placed floral wreaths in memory of the victims.

Director General for Italian Citizens Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Vignali represented the Italian government at the ceremony.

The international community praised Bangladesh’s efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice and reaffirmed their strong partnership to prevent future attacks.

Representatives of the victims' families and friends from the expatriate community in Dhaka were also present.

Most of the victims were foreigners residing in or visiting the capital’s diplomatic quarter in Gulshan-Baridhara.

The Italian ambassador commended Bangladesh’s achievements, particularly the community-based approach to preventing violent extremism.