Buddhist monk hacked to death in Bangladesh

An elderly Buddhist monk was hacked to death on Saturday at a temple in Bangladesh, police said.

The body of Mongsowe U Chak, 75, was found at the isolated temple where he lived alone in Naikkhangchhari village, about 338 kilometers (211 miles) southeast of Dhaka, police said.

Police said they did not know the motive of the killing and no one had been arrested.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a surge in violent attacks over the past few months in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted by Islamist extremists.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some of the killings although the government denies the Sunni militant group has a presence in the country, saying homegrown extremists are behind the attacks.