DHAKA, Bangladesh, May 7 (UPI) — A local Sufi leader was found dead with his throat slashed in central Bangladesh, making him the latest victim of a series of murders on intellectuals, bloggers and religious minorities in the country.
Mohammad Shahidulla, 65, was found dead in a mango orchard in Tanore with his shoulder and throat gashed — an indication his death may be connected to the string of previous attacks on targeted civilians, local police superintendent Mohammad Nisharul Arif said, according to CNN.
Shahidulla was reportedly a lesser known Sufi Muslim spiritual leader who practiced a mystical form of Islam considered aberrant to majority Sunni Muslims.
Police reportedly have not confirmed whether the incident is indeed linked to the previous killings, which have been claimed by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh.
A string of seemingly systematic assaults similar to this have occurred in recent weeks targeting secular bloggers, a magazine editor who was gay, a Hindu tailor and a liberal professor, among others.
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