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Suspects arrested in killing of Bangladeshi blogger

August 14, 2015

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two suspected Muslim militants in connection with the killing of a secular blogger. Last week’s attack was the fourth murder of a blogger in six months.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GFLn
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Uz Zaman

Detectives have detained two suspects, Masud Rana and Saad Al Nahin, both members of the banned Bangladeshi Islamist organization Ansarullah Bangla Team, police spokesman Muntasirul Islam said Friday.

"We are not sure yet whether they are directly involved with the murder. The suspects are being questioned," Islam told dpa news agency.

Bangladesch Niloy Neel Blogger EINSCHRÄNKUNG
Niladri Chottopadhay Niloy - aka Niloy Chakrabarty and Niloy Neel - was found stabbed to death on August 7Image: Twitter

Grisly murder the latest in spate of attacks

The men were arrested in connection with the killing of Niladri Chottopadhay Niloy - also known by his pen names Niloy Chakrabarty and Niloy Neel - who was found dead in his apartment last Friday, the victim of a dozen stab wounds.

Four men posing as tenants had entered his apartment building and murdered the outspoken blogger, the fourth such type of killing in six months, investigators said.

Islamist militants claim responsibility

Hours after the killing, Ansar-Al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-linked underground group, claimed responsibility for the murder in an email sent to media.

It has claimed other attacks on bloggers in the past.

Asha Moni, the slain blogger's wife, alleged that her husband had been threatened several times for his blog but that police had refused to register his complaints or provide physical protection.

Militants have been targeting secularist writers in Bangladesh. The government has tried to crack down on hardline Islamist groups active in the South Asian nation of 160 million people.