5 Islamists held over attack on B’desh Christian priest

Five suspected Islamists were on Monday arrested in Bangladesh in connection with last week’s attempt on the life of a pastor and one of them has confessed to the attack, saying they wanted to defame the government and create a “sensation in Western world”, police said.

The <g data-gr-id="24">Jamaatul</g> Islam Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) member, who pastor Luke Sarker identified as 23-year-old Rakib, confessed to his involvement in the assassination attempt that came days after two foreigners were killed by armed men in attacks claimed by the ISIS, they said.

“We have arrested five members of the (outlawed) JMB (<g data-gr-id="28">Jamaatul</g> Islam Mujahideen Bangladesh)... one of them admitted he was directly involved in the attack on pastor Luke Sarker,” Alamgir Kabir, police chief of northwestern Pabna district where the attack took place, said.

“During initial interrogation they said (that) on orders from their regional commander, they tried to kill the pastor to create an international uproar,” he said.

“As he (Rakib) confessed his involvement in the assassination attempt, we asked him why they targeted an ordinary priest. In reply, he said they wanted to defame the government and create a sensation in <g data-gr-id="25">western</g> world by killing a Christian clergy,” he added.

The police chief said that a massive manhunt was launched to track down the regional JMB leader who, according to the detained men, ordered Sarker’s murder “to create a global sensation”.

Kabir said 52-year-old Luke Sarker was called to the local police station where he identified one of the JMB members as one of the three assailants who attacked him with a knife at his house at Iswardi sub-district after pretending to be enthusiastic learners of Christianity.