DHAKA, Aug 20: A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced an Islamic militant to death for the murder of a Christian man four years ago, a lawyer said. Mohammad Salauddin, a leading figure in the banned Islamic militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) blamed for a string of deadly bombings in 2005, was convicted of killing Ridoy Roy by slitting his throat in the northern town of Sharishbari.

“Salauddin pleaded guilty to the murder charges. He confessed to a magistrate that he slaughtered Roy on March 23, 2003. It was a pre-planned murder,” prosecutor Shahin Ahmed Khan said.

“In his written statement, Salauddin said he killed Roy because he was engaged in converting Muslims into Christians by showing films on Jesus,” he said.—AFP