Japanese citizen shot dead in Rangpur

Japanese citizen shot dead in Rangpur

 

A group of gunmen shot dead a Japanese national in Rangpur city this morning.Police identified the victim as Kunio Hoshi, 66. Photo: TV Grab.

 

-- Japanese man shot dead
-- Unknown assailants spray bullets on him at Mahiganj around 10:30am
-- Body kept at Rangpur Medical College Hospital
-- Victim was involved in philanthropic activities
A group of gunmen shot dead a Japanese national in Rangpur city this morning.
Police identified the victim as Kunio Hoshi, 66.
The killing took place in the northern district just five days into the murder of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone.

 

According to primary information, Hoshi was involved in philanthropic activities. “But we could not confirm it yet,” Nazrul Islam, assistant inspector general (media) at Police Headquarters, told The Daily Star.
Talking to The Daily Star, Abdul Kader Jilani, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Kotwali Police Station, said a group of gunmen sprayed bullets on Hoshi around 10:30am at Mahiganj in the city.
He was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital immediately. Hoshi’s body has been kept there.
Talking to The Daily Star about the Japanese citizen, AIG Nazrul Islam said they had learnt primarily that Hoshi was visiting a friend, who is a contractor, in Rangpur.
“We’ve heard that he came here five to six months ago and was staying there in Rangpur.”
Hoshi used to visit Bangladesh once every year, he added.
On September 28, Italian citizen Tavella was shot dead by criminals in Gulshan. He used to work as the project manager of Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (Proofs), a project of Netherlands-based organisation ICCO Cooperation.
READ more: Italian national shot dead in Gulshan
Soon after the murder, Reuters reported that an online statement in the name of the hardline Islamist group Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
The murder stirred up controversies of a “terrorist attack” and was condemned by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh and British High Commissioner, who issued a travel alert to their citizens living in Bangladesh. They claimed militants may be targeting western interests in Bangladesh. Following the incident, United States and Canada warned their citizens of militant attacks in Bangladesh, and asked them to remain alert.
On the other hand, as repercussions of this event, the Bangladesh-Australia cricket series which was supposed to begin today has been postponed as Australian team cancelled their trip to Bangladesh showing security reason.