Bangladesh police say pastor escapes attackers

Three men came to his home pretending to want to learn about Christianity.

Bangladeshi security officers stand guard on Sunday at the site where Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi was killed on Saturday at Mahiganj village in Rangpur district, 300 km north of Dhaka. Closely following the fatal attacks on two foreigners last week, a Bangladeshi pastor Luke Sarker survived an attempt on his life on Monday by three men who came to his home pretending to want to learn about Christianity, police and the victim said on Tuesday.

Police in Bangladesh say a pastor has survived an attempt on his life by three men who came to his home pretending to want to learn about Christianity.

Siddikur Rahman, a senior police official, said Luke Sarker (52) suffered minor injuries on Monday when three men aged between 25 and 30 attacked him with a knife at his home in the north-western district of Pabna.

Killing of foreigners

The incident follows fatal attacks on two foreigners last week in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim South Asian country that is grappling with violence claimed by hard-line Islamic groups.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attacks last week on a Japanese agricultural worker and an Italian aid worker. The IS claim has been refuted by the Bangladesh government, which blamed the opposition for trying to destabilise the country.

Published - October 06, 2015 01:14 pm IST