IS claims attack on Shia mosque in Bangladesh

Dhaka, November 27

The Islamic State (IS) on Friday claimed responsibility for the attack on a Shia mosque in Bangladesh that killed one person, the latest in a series of incidents in the country linked to the dreaded terror group.

The 70-year-old imam of the mosque was killed and three other people injured when three gunmen opened fire on worshippers during prayers at the mosque last night.

"The Islamic State (IS) claimed credit for the November 26, 2015 attack on a Shia mosque in Bangladesh's Bogra district," the SITE Intelligence group said, the Daily Star reported.

Three gunmen opened fired as Shia Muslims were offering evening prayers at a mosque in Shibganj area of Bogra district.

The assailants fled the scene crossing a wall after locking the mosque's main gate from inside apparently to prevent people in the neighbourhood to come to the rescue of the victims, sources said.

The mosque's imam Moyazzem Hossain died in the firing while three people received bullet wounds but doctors said they were out of danger.

The attack comes after a rare pre-dawn bomb attack on a Shia procession in Bangladesh's capital that killed one person and wounded 80.

The attack on the procession on October 24 was allegedly carried out by the militant group Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh, police said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a statement after the Bogra attack said those who raided mosques were not "true Muslims" while she ordered law enforcement agencies to launch a probe into the incident.

Bangladesh has seen several violent incidents in recent months, including attacks on foreigners and secular bloggers claimed by the IS, although the government says the attacks have been carried out by local Islamist radical groups.

Shias are a minority in Sunni-majority Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people. —PTI