Avijit Roy, an American-Bangladeshi atheist who advocated secularism, was hacked to death with machetes as he walked back from a book fair with his wife Rafida Ahmed, who was hurt in the attack.
“He died as he was brought to the hospital. His wife was also seriously wounded. She has lost a finger,” local police chief Sirajul Islam said.
No-one has been arrested but police say they are investigating a local Islamist group that praised the killing.
Hundreds of students gathered in Dhaka to mourn the blogger’s death.
Avijit Roy’s family say he had received threats after publishing articles promoting secular views, science and social issues on his Bengali-language blog, Mukto-Mona (Free Mind).
He defended atheism in a recent Facebook post, calling it “a rational concept to oppose any unscientific and irrational belief“.
The website was inaccessible on February 27.
The killing in early 2013 of another secular blogger, Ahmed Rajib Haider, which was blamed on religious hardliners, sparked protests from free-speech supporters and counter-protests from Islamists.
The police said the attack on Avijit Roy was similar to the 2013 murder.
ccDpy3a-zPIAt least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations. On October…
Google has been fined two undecillion (a two followed by 36 zeroes) roubles by a…
Embarking on a home remodel is an exciting journey, promising enhanced comfort, increased property value,…
The US presidential candidates continued to campaign across key swing states on October 20. Footage…
Elon Musk has said he will give away $1 million a day to a registered…
India and Canada have decided to expel their top envoys along with other diplomats as…