Cricket Tour, World Cup Qualifying In Jeopardy Due to Murder Claimed by ISIS in Bangladesh

Australia's cricket team appears ready to call off a trip to Bangladesh after ISIS claimed responsibility for an Italian aid worker's death.

On Tuesday evening, Cesare Tavella was ambushed and killed by three men on a motorcycle using silenced weapons, according to the New York Times. A security delegation sent by Cricket Australia happened to be in Bangladesh at the time, but they have since returned to Australia.

Tavella's murder comes after Australia's Foreign Ministry received "reliable information to suggest that militants may be planning to target Australian interests in Bangladesh" and decided to postpone the cricket tour. Now, it looks likely the tour will be cancelled altogether, as Australia's cricketers have been ordered back to their home states. The United States and United Kingdom have both issued travel alerts regarding the threat of militant violence in Bangladesh.

The tenuous security situation in Bangladesh could affect Australia's soccer World Cup qualifying efforts as well. Australia are scheduled to play a return qualifier there in November.

Here is a map of ISIS-directed and ISIS-inspired attacks around the globe, compiled by the New York Times.