Pakistani police say an activist known for his online criticism of the country's military and politicians has been killed by unknown assailants in a wooded area of the capital, Islamabad.

Local police official Ayaz Khan says Mohammad Bilal Khan was killed Sunday night, drawing condemnation from his friends on social media.

Police said Monday that an unknown person called the activist to come to the Karachi Company neighborhood, where he and his cousin were attacked with daggers.

The cousin was in critical condition.

In addition to his activism, Khan was a freelance journalist.

The attack took place hours after Khan bluntly criticized the newly appointed spy chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, who had previously worked as the head of internal security at Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence.