Second foreigner killed by Isis in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has denied that there is any terror activity by Isis despite the terrorist group claiming responsibility for a second killing in a week.

Kunio Hoshi, 66, a Japanese citizen, was shot dead on 3 October by two gunmen in a village in the Kaunia area of northwestern Rangpur district, about 300 kilometers north of Dhaka.

Mr Hoshi had been living in Bangladesh since 2011 and cultivated hybrid grass in Rangpur.

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan dismissed the Islamic State link to the two killings.

"There is no Isis activity in Bangladesh as far as we are concerned. The killings are isolated incidents and are meant to damage Bangladesh's relations with two friendly countries," Khan was reported as saying on UCAnews.com.

"Those behind the murders, are trying to destroy Bangladesh's achievements and destabilize the country," he said.

Isis have issued a statement claiming responsibility for Mr Hoshi's killing, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a UK-based organisation, which monitors jihadist activities online. The claim couldn't be independently verified.

The scene where Kunio Hoshi was killed in northwestern Rangpur (PA)

The murder follows the death on 28 September of Italian aid worker Cesare Tabella, 50, in the Gulshan diplomatic zone in Dhaka. The Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that murder.

Father Jyoti F. Costa secretary of the Catholic bishops' conference, told UCAnews.com: "We are worried and condemn the killings. Like everyone we are also confused about the identity and motives of the killers. Isis or not, they must be brought to justice and be punished.”

Security concerns for non-Muslims have escalated since 2010 when Bangladesh's constitution was returned from an Islamic state back into a secular democracy. A spate of killings of atheist bloggers by Muslim fundamentalists has led to intelligence suggesting that Isis was about to make its first inroads into Bangladesh, which has the fourth largest Muslim population in the world.

At least four bloggers have been killed in the last 18 months, the latest being Niladri Chatterjee, 40, who was hacked to death in his home in Dhaka last month.

Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi government denied that there were any security concerns for foreigners over the weekend after Australia pulled out of a tour of the country.

Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland said that they would not send a team to play in the two tests scheduled for Chittagong and the capital Dhaka later this month because of concerns for player safety.

Additional reporting by UCA News