IS claims responsibility for Italian killed in Bangladesh

An Italian aid worker has been killed in the high security diplomatic area in Bangladesh. The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State.

An Italian aid worker has been killed in the high security diplomatic area in Bangladesh. The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State.

Journalists take photographs as the body of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella who was gunned down by assailants is kept at a hospital morgue in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP Photo)

Cesare Tavella, 50, was shot thrice from a close proximity on Monday in market Gulshan diplomatic zone while he was jogging, police said. Tavella was rushed to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Tavella was working for the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation as the manager of its Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (PROOFS) project, a police spokesperson said.

In a statement issued in Arabic, the Islamic State (IS) claimed that it killed Cesare, SITE Intelligence Group said.

According to the Bangladesh security officials this could be the militant group’s first attack in Bangladesh.

Four secular bloggers have been hacked to death in Bangladesh since the start of the year. Al Qaeda linked militant groups have been blamed for their brutal murders.

However, this is the first time that the IS has claimed responsibility of an attack in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.