US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat and British High Commissioner Robert W Gibson on Friday denounced the Bogra Shia mosque attack that left a person dead and three others injured. The US envoy expressed deep shock at the Shia mosque attack and wished a speedy recovery of the injured. “I’m deeply saddened by the attack on a Shia mosque while Bangladeshis were at prayer and I offer condolences to the victim’s family,” Ambassador Bernicat said. She said the United States admires Bangladesh’s long tradition of communal harmony and tolerance. “We stand with Bangladesh against such violent acts of terror.” Voicing shock at the Shia mosque attack, the British High Commissioner said nothing can justify such attacks on people expressing their faith or beliefs. “I am appalled at the savage attack on worshippers during prayer time in a mosque near Bogra; nothing can justify such attacks on people expressing their faith or beliefs,” he said in a statement. The diplomat extended his deepest condolences to the victims and their families saying this is the latest in a series of ‘violent extremist’ incidents in Bangladesh. “Recent events, including in Paris, Mali, and Beirut show that no country is immune from such attacks and reinforce the need for international cooperation to tackle both the immediate threat and the root causes of such extremism,” he said. The gun attack in the Shia mosque left its muazzin dead and injured three devotees at Haripur village in Shibganj upazila on Thursday. – Dhaka, Nov 27 (UNB)
