A Bangladeshi court on Sunday sentenced five Bangladeshi nationals to death for killing a Saudi Arabian embassy official in Dhaka earlier this year, court officials said.
Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain handed down the verdict nine months after Khalaf Al Ali was shot dead in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic enclave, public prosecutor S.M. Rafiqul Islam said.
Four of the accused, who reportedly confessed in custody that they had opened fire upon Ali because of his refusal to pay them money, were present at the dock when the judge pronounced the verdict. The fifth person remains at large.
Investigators had identified the group as muggers who had shot the 45-year old embassy official outside his residence on the night of March 5. Ali died at a hospital on the following day.
Defence lawyer Habib Ullah said he will file an appeal against the verdict with the High Court, arguing his clients were not proved guilty beyond a doubt.