Italian Priest Attacked In Bangladesh

Bangladeshi police officials investigate the scene where an Italian priest was shot in Dinajpur, a few 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Dhaka, on November 18, 2015.

“Riding a motorcycle, unidentified attackers shot an Italian near the Dinajpur bus station in the morning”, inspector Robiul Alam told AFP by phone, adding that he was “seriously injured”.

He said the Italian national was a priest and also worked as a doctor at a Christian missionary hospital in Dinajpur and came to Bangladesh 35 years ago.

The police have blamed a banned local Islamist outfit for the attack, however it has similarities to previous attacks made on foreigners which have been claimed by ISIS.

A version of this article appears in print on November 19, 2015 of The Himalayan Times.

Piero Parolari, who is a priest and has been working as a doctor at a Catholic mission, was attacked by assailants in Dinajpur and he was being treated for his injuries on the neck at the Dinajpur Medical College Hospital.

Locals and the police said three men on a motorcycle swept past Parolari and fired at him.

The attack on the doctor, identified by Italian newspapers as Piero Parolari, follows the murder of another Italian and a Japanese citizen in attacks in Bangladesh claimed by Islamic State that took place in late September and early October.

The missionary was hit on the neck and fell down from his bicycle. “He bled a lot”.

The government has rejected the Islamic State claims, instead blaming the rising violence on political opponents.

Bishop Sebastian Tudu of Dinajpur criticized the situation. “Both his eyes have been bandaged”.

Bangladesh has suffered a rising tide of violence over the past year.

Police’s special intelligence unit in a recent report feared fresh sabotages to halt the ongoing trials and expected execution of several top 1971 war criminals after a series of “systematic clandestine attacks” left nine people including the two foreigners dead and almost 100 wounded in the past six weeks.

The motive for the killing was to put the government under pressure by showing the country was not safe for the foreigners, he said.