FBI visits Avijit murder site

An FBI team, which is assisting in the investigation into the murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy, has visited the spot where the US citizen was hacked to death on Feb 26.

Dhaka University Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 March 2015, 09:47 AM
Updated : 6 March 2015, 09:48 AM

The US investigators retraced Avijit’s footsteps on the day of his murder on the campus and the book fair ground.

Washington condemned the attack and offered assistance in the investigation. 

Bangladesh accepted the US offer and a four-member FBI team flew in Wednesday night.

Police say they suspect the involvement of Islamist radicals in the killing of the 42-year-old bioengineer. 

Avijit had been receiving threats from radicals for secular blogging. Two of his books were published in the fair.

His wife and fellow blogger Rafida Ahmed Bonya, also a US citizen, was seriously injured in the Feb 26 attack. She went back to the US for better treatment.

The FBI team visited the spot of the attack on Friday morning accompanied by detective police Deputy Commissioner Krishnapada Roy, who is investigating the crime.

They scoured the area and took pictures before going on to Suhrawardy Udyan book fair spot and Bangla Academy.

From there, they walked on the footpath in front of the atomic energy commission before returning near Dhaka University’s TSC intersection where Avijit and wife were attacked.

Photo: nayan kumar/ bdnews24.com

Photo: nayan kumar/ bdnews24.com

RAB arrested Shafiur Rahman Farabi four days after the incident from Dhaka.

Farabi, known for preaching radicalism, had reportedly threatened, on Facebook, to kill Avijit.

But there has been no visible progress in the investigation.

Deputy Commissioner Roy said they had a meeting with the FBI team.

“They visited the attack site and book fair area. We’ll inform you if we make any headway,” he told reporters.