Police and a news agency say an official from Saudi Arabia's embassy in Bangladesh has been fatally shot by unknown assailants.

The United News of Bangladesh is quoting Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Al Bussairy as saying that Salha Al Salha was killed by unidentified people near his house in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, early Tuesday.

The news agency says he was the second secretary at the Saudi Embassy.

Police official Kamrul Hasan told The Associated Press that police found a bullet-ridden Al Salha on a street in Dhaka's Gulshan residential area.

He said Al Salha was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

The motive is unclear and police are investigating.

Phone calls to the Saudi Embassy went unanswered.