US issues travel alert for Bangladesh

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert Tuesday for Bangladesh, saying there's reliable information that terrorist attacks could occur against foreigners in the traditionally moderate South Asian country.

Bangladesh has been rocked by a series of attacks this year claimed by Islamic extremists, including killings of secular bloggers and of Italian aid worker and a Japanese agricultural worker.

The U.S. alert says there's ongoing potential for extremist violence, including against large gatherings of foreigners. The State Department declined to provide more information on the nature of the terrorist threat, saying it does not comment on intelligence matters.

The alert notice says strict restrictions have been imposed on movements of U.S. government officials and their families, prohibiting them from most public places and from attending large gatherings, including events at international hotels. It urges other U.S. citizens in Bangladesh to take similar precautions.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks on the two foreigners and a bomb attack on minority Shiite Muslims, but Bangladesh's government has blamed domestic Islamic militants.

In February, a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger known for speaking out against religious extremism was hacked to death as he walked through Bangladesh's capital Dhaka with his wife.