The savage terror group – which has expanded its reach from Syria and Iraq to vast swathes of Africa and Asia – claimed responsibility for gunning down Cesare Tavella as he jogged home yesterday in the capital Dhaka.
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“Cesare was a hard-working professional, committed to help the people of Bangladesh”, the group said in a statement on its website. If confirmed, this will be ISIS’s first attack in Bangladesh.
After shooting they fled the scene after he fell to the ground.
Cesare was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Cesare Tavella, a 50-year-old Italian aid worker, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, on Monday evening.
This month a hit list of worldwide bloggers believed to have been compiled by the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a local group of militants who have claimed responsibility for several murders of secular campaigners and writers in Bangladesh, was circulated on the internet. “Australian officials in Bangladesh have been advised to limit their movements in public places”, an advisory said.
“However, none of the suspicions are being ruled out yet for the sake of investigation.The murder is an isolated incident and the foreigners need not feel insecure”, the home minister said, adding that adequate security has been provided in the diplomatic zone. The 50-year old aid worker was employed at Netherlands-based non-governmental organisation ICCO.
IS warned that “citizens of the crusader coalition” would not be safe in Muslim nations.
Islamist-related violence has risen during the past year in Bangladesh, where the government is fighting to restrain Jihadist groups.
“We have only heard about IS in Bangladesh but we haven’t found any of them”, Khan told reporters. Four bloggers who published criticism of Islam, a religion practiced by more than 90 percent of Bangladeshis, have been hacked to death this year, including a U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin.
The USA authorities prohibited all official government personnel from attending large gatherings, including events at worldwide hotels in Bangladesh until further notice, unless they have obtained Regional Security Office permission.
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The United Kingdom had issued an alert to its citizens in Bangladesh following decision by Cricket Australia’s (CA) decision to delay its cricket team’s arrival in Bangladesh over security concerns.
