Two men were shot and stabbed to death outside the Khulna District and Sessions Judge’s Court on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Hasib Hawladar, 42, of New Market Launchghat, and Fazle Rabbi Rajon of Bagmara in East Rupsha.
Police said Rajon was accused in six cases, while Hasib faced several other cases.
Hasib and Rajon, who were out on bail, appeared in court and then stood near the court’s main entrance around 12:15pm.
Hasib’s brother, Shakil Hawladar, said that a few days ago a firearms case was filed against his brother. Hasib had come to court to appear in connection with that case.
According to witnesses, the attackers arrived on two motorcycles, opened fire, stabbed the victims with sharp weapons, and fled the scene.
The victims were taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival, said Khulna Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Shihab Karim. He added that the motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Court activities were briefly disrupted following the violence.
As of the latest reports, police officials had cordoned off the crime scene and collected CCTV footage to identify the attackers.
