The killings of the four bloggers have caused an outcry in Bangladesh, with protesters taking to the streets throughout the country
Police in Bangladesh have arrested three people, including a UK citizen, over the murders of secularist bloggers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das.
Both were hacked to death earlier this year. Police say British-Bangladeshi Touhidur Rahman planned the killings.
Mr Rahman, an IT expert, is said to have links with a banned militant outfit, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).
Police say his arrest will provide evidence about a total of four killings of secular bloggers this year.
The Bangladesh Daily Star, external reported that Touhidur Rahman was also the alleged financier of ABT.
He and two others were detained last night in the Dhanmondi and Nilkhet areas of Dhaka.
Bangladesh is officially secular but critics say the government has not done enough to stop the attacks.
Touhidur Rahman, Sadek Ali, Aminul Mollick (front row l-r) were arrested in connection with the murders of secularist bloggers Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das
Niloy Neel was the most recent blogger to die when he was attacked earlier this month in Dhaka
All of the bloggers were hacked to death in broad daylight by suspected Islamic hardliners
Last week police arrested two other suspected members of ABT over the killing of atheist blogger Niloy Neel.
Mr Neel was hacked to death by a gang armed with machetes at his home in the capital Dhaka.
In March, another blogger, Washiqur Rahman, was hacked to death in Dhaka.
A mourner carries a rose in honour of Avijit Roy
Avijit Roy
Founded Mukto-Mona ("Free Mind") blog site in 2000 to champion secular and humanist writing in Muslim-majority Bangladesh
Bangladeshi-born US citizen on visit to Bangladesh
Engineer by profession
Received death threats from Islamist radicals for his writings, family says
"He was a thinker, he was a man of great knowledge, he was a scientist, he was an engineer" - close friend and Dhaka University professor Anwar Hossain
Ananta Bijoy Das was stabbed to death in the street - in daylight, on his way to work in a bank
Ananta Bijoy Das
Wrote blogs for Mukto-Mona, a website once moderated by Avijit Roy
Was killed in broad daylight near his home in Sylhet as he headed to work at a local bank
Was critical of religious fundamentalism and of previous attacks on secular thinkers
Sweden turned down a visa request from him in April
- Published14 August 2015
- Published12 May 2015
- Published12 May 2015
