The law enforcement agencies are yet to find any link of militant group Islamic State (IS) with the murder of an Italian citizen in Dhaka, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said.
The minister made the statement during a press conference at his office on Tuesday afternoon.
He said: "We are investigating the murder incident. So far, our law enforcement agencies did not find any link of IS with the murder."
Saying that there is no existence of IS in Bangladesh, he said whenever anyone tried to recruit members for the militant group in Bangladesh, they were arrested.
Kamal also expressed hope that the killers would be traced soon.
Asked whether the murder incident could hamper Australia's tour, he said: "There is no reason for Australia to cancel the tour. It is an isolated incident [murder of Cesare Tavella]."
The minister also said that the law enforcers were ready to ensure security to the Australia cricket team.
Tavella, 50, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the capital’s Gulshan diplomatic zone on Monday evening. He was a project manager at the Netherlands-based development organisation ICCO Cooperation.
Extremist militant group Islamic State (IS) has claimed the responsibility for killing the Italian national, according to Site Intelligence Group, a website that tracks online activity of Jihadi organisations.
On Saturday, the Australian cricket team delayed its planned departure to Bangladesh after being warned by its government that there was a potential security risk from militants.
Following Australia's security concern, the UK and the US issued alerts for their citizens living in Bangladesh in the wake of threat from terrorists.
Canada followed the suit on Tuesday telling its citizens in Bangladesh that there was a “threat of terrorism."
Moreover, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Gibson in a statement said that it was a “horrifying and cowardly crime against an aid worker working for the people of Bangladesh, helping the most vulnerable.”
EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon in a statement condemned the murder labelling it as a “terrorist crime.” He urged the law enforcement agencies “to promptly investigate this barbaric aggression and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh too condemned the murder of Tavella. “We strongly condemn this violent attack and urge the law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate this barbaric aggression and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said a statement issued by the embassy.
