US, EU ask B'desh govt to punish killers of foreign nationals

Worried over the killing of a second foreigner in Bangladesh within a week, the US and EU today asked the government to probe the murder of a Japanese national and bring the perpetrators to justice quickly.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcia Bernicat in a statement said she was deeply saddened by the murder of Japanese national Hoshi Kunio, in Rangpur yesterday.
"I urge the Government of Bangladesh to investigate every aspect of this crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible," she was quoted as saying by BDNews.Com.
66-year-old Kunio was gunned down just five days after Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella, 50, was shot dead in Gulshan diplomatic zone in Dhaka. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for both the killings.

The European Union also condemned killings of two foreigners in Bangladesh and termed the murders as "brutal".
"EU offers condolences to the members of the victims' families," the Daily Star reported.

The delegation expressed confidence that the enforcers in Bangladesh would capture the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Australian cricket team has also scrapped its Bangladesh tour following security alerts issued by its government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked detectives to track down the killers immediately. She also ruled out that IS militants were behind the murders. She said the murders appeared to be an attempt to tarnish the country's image.