Bangladesh police arrest three more suspected of killing Hindu priest

DHAKA Bangladesh's police arrested three more men on Friday suspected of killing of a Hindu priest, the latest incident of increasing Islamist violence in the south Asian nation.


The three men are members of the banned militant group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), police said, and join three other suspects in custody who have been charged over Sunday's deadly attack.


The six are accused of slitting the throat of the priest, shooting and injuring two devotees and setting off homemade bombs at a Hindu temple in northern district of Panchagarh.


One of the men arrested on Friday admitted involvement in the attack, said Humayun Kabir, the deputy inspector general of police in charge of northern Bangladesh.


Guns, home made bombs, bullets and bladed weapons were also recovered from the suspects, he said.


Police said the temple attack was perpetrated by a local militant group, while Islamic State claimed responsibility in a statement issued via social media.


Bangladesh has experienced a wave of militant violence in recent months, including a series of bomb attacks on mosques and Hindu temples.


The government denies that Islamic State has a presence in the Muslim-majority country of 160 million people.


(Reporting by Serajul Quadir; editing by Katharine Houreld)




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