MOSCOW

A Bangladesh branch of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) on Friday claimed responsibility for the murder of a secular activist after he criticised Islamists on social media, a US monitoring group said, as Bangladesh vowed to catch his killers.Ansar al-Islam said its operatives were behind the murder of Nazimuddin Samad, a 26-year-old law student who was killed late on Wednesday near his university in Dhaka by assailants carrying machetes, SITE Intelligence Group said.Meanwhile, the US has said it is considering granting refuge to a select number of bloggers who are under "imminent danger" in Bangladesh following a series of murders of secular writers and activists in the country.“The US will continue to support Bangladesh in its efforts to combat terrorism, counter violent extremism, and bring to justice those who commit such heinous acts," the US State Department spokesman said.