Dhaka: Al-Qaeda in Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS) admitted their involvement in killing blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider and Rajshahi University professor Shafiul Islam Lilon.
A top AQIS leader Asim Umar on Saturday released a video at Jihadi Forum claiming the responsibility for killing the blogger and the professor, says the intelligence organisation Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE).

According to SITE, a US website that monitors extremist groups, Asim Umar also confessed his organisation’s responsibility in the video for the murder of an American atheist blogger in Bangladesh over two months ago.

Indian newspaper Indian Express mentioned Asim Umar as an India citizen. Umar in the video message said, ‘The Al-Qaeda mujahids have sent those people to hell who talked against Allah and abused Prophet Muhammad.’

‘Al-Qaeda “Hit Squad” killed blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider and RU professor AKM Shafiul Islam,’ said Umar. In the video message he also claimed the responsibility of killing Karachi University professor Shakeel Awj and Urdu blogger Aniqua Naz.
‘Enemies in France, Denmark, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries insulted Prophet Muhammad which hurt the Muslim’s sentiment,’ added Umar.

He also claimed the murders of other ‘blasphemers’.

A spokesman for Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said it couldn’t be certain the claim was correct.

‘We are not sure,’ Mufti Mahmud told AFP when asked if Al Qaeda was behind the deaths of Avijit and bloggers Ahmed Rajib Haider and Washiqur Rahman.

A little-known Bangladeshi militant group called Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) has also apparently claimed responsibility for Avijit’s murder via a twitter account which police have not been able to verify as genuine.

The Bangladesh-born writer, Avijit Roy, also the founder of Mukto-Mona (free mind) blog, was hacked to death by two assailants with machetes on the streets of Dhaka University campus as he returned from a book fair with his wife on 26 February. His wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya, was also critically injured during the attack.
On 15 November, 2014, Rajshahi University professor of Sociology department AKM Shafiul Islam Lilon was also hacked to death in the university premises.

Earlier, on 15 February 2013, Blogger Rajib was hacked to death in front of his Pallabi residence.