ATLANTA — A prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger known for speaking out against religious extremism was hacked to death as he walked through Bangladesh's capital with his wife, police said Friday.
Avijit Roy and his wife, Rafida Ahmed, are American citizens who live in Milton.
The attack Thursday night happened on a crowded sidewalk as Roy and his wife were returning from a book fair at Dhaka University. Ahmed, who is also a blogger, was seriously injured.
It was the latest in a series of attacks on secular writers in Bangladesh in recent years.
A previously unknown militant group, Ansar Bangla 7, claimed responsibility for the attack, officials told a local newspaper.
Roy "was the target because of his crime against Islam," the group said on Twitter.
Roy was a prominent voice against religious intolerance, and his family and friends say he had been threatened for his writings.
"It's so sad and terrible for anybody to go through this. It's really terrible," neighbor Krish Lakshminarayanan told Channel 2's Aaron Diamant. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and I really hope she gets better soon."
Jashim Uddin is the former chairperson of the Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America. He told Diamant the Bangladeshi community in metro Atlanta is very close, regardless of political beliefs.
"If the government is serious enough, the should be able to find out the culprits who committed this heinous crime and bring them to justice," Uddin said.
About 8:45 p.m. Thursday, a group of men ambushed the couple as they walked toward a roadside tea stall, with at least two of the attackers hitting them with meat cleavers, police Chief Sirajul Islam said. The attackers then ran away, disappearing into the crowds.
Two blood-stained cleavers were found after the attack, he said.
A close friend of Roy’s said he knew Roy was taking a chance with his life. Harum Mohammed told Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes that certain political groups considered Roy’s book a crime against the nation of Islam.
“He felt it and still I don't know how come he ended up over there, especially the condition in Bangladesh right now,” Mohammed said. “He doesn't believe in God and to any religious person, it is hard to accept that.”
Mohammed told Fernandes that Roy died for what he believed in and that his legacy will live on.
“By reading his books, people will remember that we lost a great guy,” Mohammed said.
Several hundred people joined a rally Friday near the site of the attack carrying banners reading, "We want justice" and "Down with fundamentalism."
WSBTV
