A Japanese national was shot dead in Bangladesh on Saturday, days after an Italian was shot dead in Dhaka's diplomatic zone this week. The Japanese, identified as Hoshi Kunio, 65, was killed in Bangladesh's Rangpur area at about 10am, local time. 

Kunio was shot thrice by a group of unidentified gunmen. "He was shot on his chest and also on his hand and leg," Rezaul Karim, a local police officer was quoted as saying by Reuters. 

On Monday, Italian national Cesare Tavella, 50, was shot dead in the diplomatic quarter in Dhaka by gunmen on a motorcycle. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the murder on Twitter, in what is being seen as the first Isis attack in Bangladesh.

The United States and the United Kingdom have issued warnings to their nationals in Bangladesh following increasing crimes and violence by Islamist groups in the country.

Four Bangladeshi bloggers were hacked to death in the last few months by Islamist militants who accused them of insulting Islam.