US urges Bangladesh to bring killers of Japanese national to justice

The US ambassador in Dhaka has urged Bangladesh government to investigate ‘every aspect’ of the murder of a Japanese national in Rangpur and bring the perpetrators to justice ‘as soon as possible’.

Marcia Bernicat in a statement hours after the killing on Saturday said she was ‘deeply saddened’ by the murder.

“I urge the Government of Bangladesh to investigate every aspect of this crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible,” she said.

She also offered her condolences to the victim’s family, friends and Japan.

Police said masked assailants gunned down Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur's Kaunia Upazila at around 11am.

They arrested four people, including a rickshaw puller who was carrying him to a farm, roughly five kilometres away from the Rangpur town, for questioning over the murder.

This was the second such killing in Bangladesh in a week after an Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was shot dead at the heart of the diplomatic enclave in Gulshan on Monday amid western countries security concerns.

Australian cricket team has also scrapped its Bangladesh tour following security alerts issued by its government.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who returned home on Saturday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York, asked detectives to track down the killers immediately.

She also said that the murders appeared to be an attempt to tarnish the country's image.