A prominent American Blogger, Avijit Roy was hacked to death on Thursday by assailants wielding machetes in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.
Avijit Roy and his wife, Rafita Ahmed, were attacked as they were returning from a book fair. Avijit Roy was the founder of the Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog which championed secular writing in a country where majority of its population are Muslims and where Islamic extremism is fast becoming the norm.
Reports indicate Avijit Roy and his wife were on a bicycle and were attacked by assailants who dragged them along the pavement and hit them with machetes.
There had been threats to his life before he returned to Bangladesh with many Islamic extremists claiming he would be killed if he ever returned. Protests held in Dhaka yesterday by a group of secular activists to condemn what is fast becoming common practise in Bangladesh.
His wife survived the attack, although she is reported to be seriously injured and even lost a finger.