At least six believers were hospitalized. It’s also believed that three Christian men were kidnapped and may be facing torture in captivity. There are also unconfirmed reports that one or more of these men have already been killed for their faith.
On Monday morning, January 27, a mob of hundreds of people attacked believers and looted their homes. Eighteen homes and a house church building were destroyed.
Learn why Bangladesh is No. 38 on the World Watch List.
The mob is most likely connected to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim insurgent group that, to date, hasn’t pledged allegiance to any foreign Islamist groups, such as Al-Qaeda or Islamic State.
Our field tells us that while area police have been pressured to investigate and work for the release of the kidnapped Christians, they have actually refused to take any serious action so far. They say that the Rohingya first need to file a case. However, because Rohingyas are refugees in Bangladesh, they don’t have citizenship—making filing a crime report almost impossible.