Two militants sentenced to demise for killing U.S. blogger escape from Bangladesh court docket By Reuters

DHAKA (Reuters) – Two Islamist militants sentenced to demise for killing a U.S. blogger crucial of non secular extremism escaped from a crowded court docket in Bangladesh’s Dhaka on Sunday.

Avijit Roy, an engineer of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to demise by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 whereas returning dwelling together with his spouse from a Dhaka e book truthful. His spouse, blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, suffered head accidents and misplaced a thumb within the assault.

5 members of an Islamist militant group had been sentenced to demise final 12 months, whereas one was jailed for all times.

Two of these on demise penalty escaped on Sunday, after bikers sprayed chemical on the police earlier than snatching away the convicts, police stated.

“An enormous manhunt has been launched to seize them and their helpers,” Residence Minister Asaduzzaman Khan advised reporters, including that border safety officers had been placed on alert to cease the boys fleeing the nation.

Police has additionally introduced an award of two million taka (about $19,350) for tracing the convicts.

The convicted males belong to the al Qaeda-inspired home militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Crew and police say the group was behind the murders of greater than a dozen secular activists and bloggers.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh noticed a string of lethal assaults between 2013 and 2016 focusing on bloggers, secular activists and non secular minorities, claimed by Islamic State or al Qaeda-aligned teams.

($1 = 103.3500 taka)

(eporting by Ruma Paul; writing by Tanvi Mehta; Enhancing by Stephen Coates)