US blogger murder suspect arrested in Bangladesh

November 06, 2017 19:52

An Islamist militant has been arrested in connection with the murder of a prominent US blogger who was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants in Dhaka in 2015, police said.

Abu Siddiqui Sohel alias Sakib, 34, was arrested by the counter-terrorism unit last night from the Mohamadpur area in

the capital, they said.

Sakib had joined Ansarullah Bangla Team in 2014 and he was associated with its intelligence wing, police said.

The ABT is blamed for the murder of more than a dozen progressive bloggers and rights activists between 2013 and

2016, most in gruesome machete attacks.

Sakib was produced before the magistrate where he made the confessional statement for over three hours today.

"He (Sakib) disclosed that a total of eight militants took part in the mission to kill (blogger) Avijit Roy," a court official told reporters.

Roy, known for his critique of religious extremism, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants as he left a book fair with his wife, who was critically injured in the assault on February 26, 2015.

-- PTI

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