DHAKA, Bangladesh, Sept. 29 (UPI) — The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Monday killing of an Italian aid worker who was shot while jogging in the capital of Bangladesh.
Police are investigating the death of Cesare Tavella, 50, who they say was shot from behind by two attackers in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter.
The BBC’s Joanna Jolly reports this is the first attack claimed by IS in Bangladesh, where it has not announced an official branch — but in an online statement taking credit for the attack, the extremists said “citizens of the crusader coalition” would not be safe in Muslim countries.
The Bangladeshi government formed a special police unit on Tuesday to investigate the murder but has not commented on the jihadists’ claim.
The United States and United Kingdom, meanwhile, have restricted the movements of diplomats and warned their citizens to exercise caution, noting they have intelligence indicating Westerners may be targeted.
At least four secular bloggers have been murdered by suspected Islamic militants in Bangladesh this year, including a U.S. citizen.
The group believed responsible for the killings, Ansarullah Bangla Team, last week released on online “hit list” of bloggers it promised to kill — including nine in the United Kingdom, seven in Germany, two in the United States, one in Canada and one in Sweden.
