Rangpur: A Rangpur court sentenced five members of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) to death in a case filed over the killing of Japanese citizen Hoshi Kunio.

Naresh Chandra Sarkar of Special Judge’s Court announced the verdict on Tuesday morning.

The convicts are JMB regional commander Masud Rana, JMB members, Isahaq Ali, Liton Miah, Ahsanullah Ansari, and Shakawat Hossain.

The court also acquitted Abu Sayeed, also a JMB member, of the charges as the allegations brought against him was not proved.

On 19 February, Naresh Chandra Sarkar fixed the date for delivering the verdict after closing the law-point arguments of both sides.

Earlier, on 15 November, 2016, a court framed charges against seven members of banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Hoshi Kunio murder case.

Of them, Masud Rana, Ishak Ali, Liton Miah, Abu Sayeed and Sakhwat Hossain are now in jail while Saddam Hossain and Ahsanullah Ansari have been on the run and Nazrul Islam was killed in a gunfight in Rajshahi.

Hoshi Kunio, 65, was gunned down by unknown assailants near his farmhouse at Kachu Alutary in Kaunia upazila on 3 October, 2015.