Second Blogger Hacked To Death In Bangladesh

A second blogger who is believed to have made comments about Islamists has been hacked to death in Bangladesh.

Washiqur Rahman, 26, was attacked with meat cleavers just metres from his home in the capital Dhaka, according to police official Biplob Kumar Sarker.

"Two students from an Islamic school have been arrested while a third is on the run," Mr Sarker said.

Rahman was declared dead at a hospital shortly after being attacked in the city's Tejgaon area, the officer said.

It was not immediately known what Rahman's blogging focussed on, but the suspects, both aged 20, told police they were targeting him due to his anti-Islamic writings, Mr Sarker said.

One of the suspects also told reporters they attacked Rahman because he had disrespected the Prophet Mohammed.

Two of Rahman's cousins told the media he had started working for Dhaka travel agency after finishing his studies. They said they were unaware of his blogging.

Rahman's death follows the murder of prominent American-Bangladeshi activist Avijit Roy last month, also in Dhaka .

Roy, who wrote several books, spoke out against religious extremism on his Mukto-Mona website.

He lived in the American city Atlanta but was in Dhaka for a book fair with his wife when he was attacked by men armed with machetes and knives.

Roy died at the scene. His wife, Rafida Ahmed, was also attacked when she tried to intervene.

Images of them both covered in blood spread across the country on social media.

The Ansar Brigade 7, an obscure militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for his crime against Islam.

Farabi Shafiur Rahman, a Bangladeshi blogger who criticised atheism, was arrested in connection with the brutal murder.

The student had allegedly threatened Roy several times, with some of the threats being made on Facebook.

Roy's death sparked protests, with many holding the government responsible for not reining in radical elements.

Bangladesh, the fourth most-populous Islamic country in the world, has seen an increase of Islamic fundamentalism over the years.

The Jamaat-e-Islami has become the largest religious political party, with considerable influence across the country.