B’desh Christian priest attacked

A Christian priest in Bangladesh has survived an attempt on his life by three suspected Islamists who attacked him in his house after pretending to want to learn about Christianity, days after two foreigners were killed by armed men in attacks claimed by ISIS terror group.

52-year-old Luke Sarker, the pastor of Faith Bible Church, suffered injuries when three men on Monday attacked him with a knife and tried to slit his throat at his home in the northwestern district of Pabna, police said.

The attackers aged 25-30 had entered the pastor’s house pretending to be <g data-gr-id="19">enthusiastic</g> learner of Christianity.

The assailants fled the scene leaving behind their motorbike as people in the neighbourhood rushed when Sarker, also a homeopath practitioner, screamed for help.

Police said the attackers are yet to be identified but suspect they could be members of a fundamentalist group.

“We have launched an investigation. Until now it appears to be part of an effort to create political unrest,” special superintendent of police’s criminal investigation department Shahriar Rahman Kajol said. The motorbike left by the attackers outside the house was carrying a registration number having a fake address, Kajol said.