Bangladesh to engage FBI in writer-blogger Avijit murder investigations

Bangladesh has taken up the US offer to engage its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to probe the brutal murder of the writer-blogger Avijit Roy.

Washington has condemned in “strongest terms” the murder of Roy, a bio-engineer, who was a naturalised US citizen.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told some Dhaka-based diplomats including Americans on Sunday that his government had accepted the US offer of sending the FBI to help the enquiry.

The announcement came after Bangladesh's police detectives failed to come up with any definite clue on those involved three days after the murder.

The FBI had sent a team in 2004 to investigate the grenade attack on an Awami League rally that killed many party leaders and left scores of others including its chief Sheikh Hasina injured.

But the BNP-Jamaat government's lukewarm response acted as a dampener and FBI pulled out of the probe.

The foreign ministry said on Sunday the government had decided to "positively respond" to the US offer to engage the FBI in unearthing the motive and real culprits behind the murder.

Unidentified assailants hacked the 42-year old Roy to death and seriously injured his blogger wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya on Dhaka University campus last Thursday night.

He has been facing threats from Islamist radicals for his secular blogging for a while.

Although police suspect militants for the attack, they are yet to identify or arrest anyone.

A senior police official said they were investigating whether there was negligence on their part since the attack took place near the Amar Ekushey Book Fair where there is much police deployment.

“Two committees have been formed to assist the investigation of negligence and murder,” he told bdnews24.com on condition of strict anonymity.

He said Avijit’s father Ajay Roy received threats over phone after the murder from a northern district.

Minister Ali in the briefing, which is part of his “regular engagements” with the diplomats, noted in particular concerns raised by the UN, US and EU after the killing of the blogger by unidentified assailants.

Merely hours after Thursday’s attack, Twitter account ‘Ansar Bangla 7’ hailed it as ‘victory’.

An officer, involved with the investigations, said they were looking into it.

But he declined further comments at the initial stage of the probe.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman skirted a direct reply when asked if they knew about motive behind Avijit's murder.

“We’re trying to nab the killers,” he told bdnews24.com.

RAB’s Additional Director General Ziaul Ahsan, who suspects religious radicals for the killing, said they, too, were looking into the incident.

He said they were going through Avijit’s phone records since Feb 16 when he came to Bangladesh.

The detective police are checking the CCTV footage from the book fair premises.

“We are trying to find out when Avijit came to the fair and whether anyone suspicious was following him,” a detective official said but was not willing to be named.

The investigation was taken over by the Detective Branch of police although Shahbagh police started it.

Meanwhile, Avijit’s wife Bonya’s condition has improved, said Shahbagh Police Station’s Sub-Inspector Subrata Goldar.

Avijit’s body was donated to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Sunday.