Machete Attack Kills Second Blogger in Bangladesh in Past Month

A blogger in Bangladesh was killed by a group of men wielding machetes on Monday in the second attack of its kind in the past several weeks in the area.

The attack happened at around 9 a.m. Monday, when 27-year-old Oyasiqur Rhaman was attacked by a group of three men wielding machetes as he traveled to work in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka.

Police have reportedly apprehended two of the three suspects involved in the attack, and the men allegedly told authorities that they attacked Rhaman after he posted offensive messages toward Islam on social media.

"Police on duty near the spot caught two attackers with three machetes as they were fleeing the scene after the incident," police official Humayan Kabir told Reuters.

According to BBC News, Rhaman wrote under the pen-name Kucchit Hasher Channa, and reportedly condemned radical religious thinking via blog sites and social media.

Following Monday's attack, bloggers in Bangladesh have spoken out in support of Rhaman, who died from his injuries to his face, head and shoulders.

Fellow blogger Asif Mohiuddin told the BBC News that he and Rhaman had previously "[criticized] fundamentalist groups" together.

"I liked him for his satire, his sense of humour. He was a wonderful blogger and I'm very [...] upset right now," he added.

Monday's attack bares similarity to a machete attack on Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy in February, also in Dhaka. Roy had founded a website that encouraged free thinking and constructive criticism of religion and politics in Bangladesh. He died from his injuries, while his wife returned to the United States following the attack.