--- description: Bangladeshi police say they have killed a senior figure of an Islamist group involved in the killings of secular bloggers and activists. title: Bangladesh Police Say Killer of Secular Bloggers Is Dead image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5999a5dd452c7fa9/69889881a988ca1f246b84b9/ap_220090188949.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Bangladesh](/tag/bangladesh/) ## Bangladesh Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bangladesh Police Say They Killed the Militant Who Murdered Secular Bloggers Last Year by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 7:46 AM CUT  Bangladeshi social activists hold portraits of slain activists Niloy Nill, Humayun Azad, Avijit Roy, Arefin Dipon, Nazimuddin Samad, Rajib Haydar and Wasiqur Babu during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 15, 2016 Bangladeshi social activists hold portraits of slain activists Niloy Nill, Humayun Azad, Avijit Roy, Arefin Dipon, Nazimuddin Samad, Rajib Haydar and Wasiqur Babu during a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 15, 2016AP by [Simon Lewis](/author/simon-lewis/) ## Simon Lewis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2016 7:46 AM CUT Bangladeshi police [say](http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/jun/20/avijit-attacker-sharif-killed-gunfight "undefined") they have killed a senior figure of an Islamic militant group involved in the killings of secular activists and bloggers. Amid a large-scale crackdown on suspected militants following [a spate of murders](http://time.com/4369623/bangladesh-extremism-islam-islamist-terrorism-sectarian-isis-aqis-al-qaeda/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") of liberal activists and minorities, the Dhaka _Tribune_ reports that a man known as Sharif, who was responsible for training in the banned group [Ansarullah Bangla Team](http://time.com/3895853/bangladesh-atheist-blogger-ansarullah-bangla-team-banned/ "undefined"), was killed in a gunfight in the capital, Dhaka, on Sunday. Police claim Sharif, whose organization is believed to be the local affiliate of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), took part in the murders last year of Bangladeshi-American secular blogger [Avijit Roy](http://time.com/3725527/atheist-writer-killed-bangladesh-avijit-roy-mukto-mona/ "undefined") and fellow [blogger](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33819032 "undefined") [Niladri “Niloy” Chatterjee](http://time.com/4119742/bangladesh-blogger-murder-arrests-facebook-whatsapp-blocked/ "undefined"), as well as in the killing of a university student. The deaths are among at least 20 similar killings since 2013, in which the victims are usually hacked to death in broad daylight. AQIS and the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria have separately claimed responsibility for many of the attacks. A [Hindu](http://time.com/4363903/bangladesh-hindu-sectarian-killings-islamist-isis-al-qaeda/ "undefined") monastery worker, a Hindu [priest](http://time.com/4359440/hindu-priest-bangladesh-sectarian-killings-isis-terrorism/ "undefined"), a [Christian](http://time.com/4357900/christian-murdered-bangladesh-sectarian-isis/ "undefined") walking home from Sunday prayers, and the [wife](http://time.com/4357798/bangladesh-police-wife-killed/ "undefined") of an antiterrorism police officer have all been slain in Muslim-majority Bangladesh this month alone, sparking authorities to roundup thousands of suspects. \[[_Dhaka Tribune_](http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/jun/20/avijit-attacker-sharif-killed-gunfight "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4374362/bangladesh-police-al-qaeda-avijit-roy-niladri-niloy-chatterjee/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4374362/bangladesh-police-al-qaeda-avijit-roy-niladri-niloy-chatterjee/"},"headline":"Bangladesh Police Say They Killed the Militant Who Murdered Secular Bloggers Last Year","datePublished":"2016-06-20T07:46:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:42:17.266Z","description":"The senior militant was reportedly killed in a gunfight in the capital, Dhaka, on Sunday","url":"https://time.com/4374362/bangladesh-police-al-qaeda-avijit-roy-niladri-niloy-chatterjee/","keywords":["Bangladesh","Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5999a5dd452c7fa9/69889881a988ca1f246b84b9/ap_220090188949.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simon Lewis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/simon-lewis/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5999a5dd452c7fa9/69889881a988ca1f246b84b9/ap_220090188949.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bangladesh Protest","caption":"Bangladesh Protest","creditText":"AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/bangladesh/","name":"Bangladesh"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4374362/bangladesh-police-al-qaeda-avijit-roy-niladri-niloy-chatterjee/","name":"Bangladesh Police Say They Killed the Militant Who Murdered Secular Bloggers Last Year"}}]}] ```