Two militants on death row for killing US blogger escape from Bangladesh court

Two Islamist militants, who were sentenced to death last year for killing Bangladeshi-American secular blogger Avijit Roy and his publisher in 2015, managed to escape from the premises of a crowded court in Dhaka on Sunday.

The militants were helped by unidentified bikers who sprayed chemicals on police officers before whisking the two away. A surveillance footage of the incident shows four unidentified men fleeing the scene with the two of them.

The home ministry of Bangladesh has issued a red alert to intercept the militants. It has also announced a reward of £8,171 for any information that might lead to their arrests.

Meanwhile, the police officers who were on duty when the militants escaped have been suspended and an investigation has been launched by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

"We're currently investigating the incident and we'll get the real picture once the investigation is done," said Jashim Uddin, deputy police commissioner of DMP.

Roy, an engineer of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants while he was on his way home after attending a book fair in Dhaka. He was accompanied by his wife, blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, who also suffered head injuries in the brutal attack and lost a thumb.

Roy, like several other secular bloggers wrote about atheism, rationalism, and science. He was critical of fundamentalism, of Islam and other religions.

According to a report in Reuters, the two convicts were responsible for the murders of over a dozen secular activists and bloggers in Bangladesh. They were a part of the Al Qaeda-inspired domestic militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team.

Bloggers, rights campaigners, westerners and members of religious minorities became victims of violent attacks between 2013 and 2016, all these attacks were claimed by ISIS or Al-Qaeda-aligned groups.