Bangladesh police have charged two Islamic students and two others over the machete murder of a blogger accused of mocking Islam, the second such attack in recent weeks.
Washiqur Rahman was hacked to death near his home yesterday morning in Dhaka, less than two months after the murder of an American atheist blogger triggered international outrage.
Police Inspector Mohammad Salahuddin said three knife-wielding attackers killed the 27-year-old because they believed he had "defamed Islam" in the mainly Muslim country through writings on social media.
Police lodged preliminary murder charges against two students of madrassas who were arrested at the scene, along with the third who fled and is still on the run, another officer said.
An alleged planner of the attack was also charged and is now under investigation after the students named him during police questioning, said deputy commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarker.
"A case was filed against the four people accusing them of the murder of the blogger," Mr Sarker told AFP.
Officially secular Bangladesh has seen a rise in Islamism in recent years.
Bloggers and other writers along with secular activists held a rally and candlelight vigil against the murder late last night at Dhaka University, the country's secular bastion.
