World

Police officer hacked to death and another police officer killed in Bangladesh during Eid prayer

Another terrorist attack occurred yesterday in Bangladesh, resulting in the deaths of at least 3 people. The latest attack claimed the lives of 2 police officers and a woman during the Eid prayer at a mosque, which was attended by at least 200,000 people and was approximately 90 miles north of the previous terrorist attack in Dhaka that killed 22 in a cafe last week. Witnesses state that a police officer was hacked to death with machetes, while the other two fatalities were from gunfire or the homemade explosives that were thrown. Several others were wounded in the attack as well. One of the attackers was captured alive by police (see the featured image above). According to Hindustan Times, the intended target of the attack may have been a liberal cleric that recently spoke out against radical Islam,

“Maulana Farid-uddin Masud, the chief cleric of the main mosque in Kishoregunj town that was attacked, collected more than 100,000 signatures, including from leading Islamic scholars and intellectuals, against a recent wave of extremist attacks in the country targeting atheists, religious minorities.

Masud had described radical Islamists as pursuing “empty Islam” and said those perpetrating violence in the name of the faith would “go to hell”.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

Another terrorist attack occurred yesterday in Bangladesh, resulting in the deaths of at least 3 people. The latest attack claimed the lives of 2 police officers and a woman during the Eid prayer at a mosque, which was attended by at least 200,000 people and was approximately 90 miles north of the previous terrorist attack in Dhaka that killed 22 in a cafe last week. Witnesses state that a police officer was hacked to death with machetes, while the other two fatalities were from gunfire or the homemade explosives that were thrown. Several others were wounded in the attack as well. One of the attackers was captured alive by police (see the featured image above). According to Hindustan Times, the intended target of the attack may have been a liberal cleric that recently spoke out against radical Islam,

“Maulana Farid-uddin Masud, the chief cleric of the main mosque in Kishoregunj town that was attacked, collected more than 100,000 signatures, including from leading Islamic scholars and intellectuals, against a recent wave of extremist attacks in the country targeting atheists, religious minorities.

Masud had described radical Islamists as pursuing “empty Islam” and said those perpetrating violence in the name of the faith would “go to hell”.

“We believe he was the target,” Tofazzal Hossain, assistant superintendent of police in Kishoregunj, told Hindustan Times.

Although the Islamic State claimed credit for the attack, the government has blamed home-grown militant groups of waging the violence in order to create political chaos in the country and undermine the secular government.”

Image courtesy of al Jazeera

Image courtesy of AFP 

About Desiree Huitt View All Posts

Desiree Huitt is an Army Veteran serving 11 years as a Military Intelligence officer and prior to OCS as a combat medic. She is a graduate from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern Studies.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In