US announces $5 million reward for information on attack against Americans in Bangladesh

US State Department's rewards for justice programme on Monday announcedrewards of up to $5 million on terrorists who had attackedAmerican nationals in 2015.

The State Department said the terrorists from the Al Qaeda-linked terror organisationhad killed writer Avijit Roy and wounded his wife Rafida Bonya Ahmed during the attack in Dhaka.

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The Bangladesh court this year had sentenced five terrorists to death while sending one of them to life imprisonment.

The US government said, "Two of those defendants Syed Ziaul Haque and Akram Hossain were tried and remain at large." The State Department has offered rewards for informationleading to the arrest of the two terrorists.

Avijit Roy and his wife were returning from a book fair when they were attacked by the terrorists.

The Bangladesh court said charges against the defendants were proved while delivering the verdict. Special prosecutor Mohammed Golan Sharuar Khan had said their aim was to "kill bloggers, writers and publishers to stop freedom of speech of people and disrupt public safety by creating panic among the people.”

Avijit was gunned down by the terrorists as his wife received severe wounds during the attack on February 26, 2015. Avijit’s father later filed a murder case. The Bangladesh court reached its verdict in February 2021.

(With inputs from Agencies)