A Dhaka court on Monday granted a two-day remand of US citizen of Bangladeshi origin Enayet Karim Chowdhury, 55, over allegations of working as a foreign agent to overthrow Bangladesh’s interim government.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Atikur Rahman passed the order following a police petition. Investigation officer Sub-Inspector Abu Hanif of Ramna police station sought a 10-day remand, while the defense lawyer applied for bail, reports Bangla Tribune.
According to police, Enayet was stopped on Saturday around 10:30am near Minister’s Colony on Minto Road after acting suspiciously on an SUV. Two iPhones were seized, and preliminary analysis reportedly revealed conspiratorial information against the government.
Interrogation revealed that Enayet arrived from New York on September 6 and claimed to be a contract agent of a foreign intelligence agency. He alleged that Bangladesh’s interim government vulnerable, and said he intended to form a new national or caretaker government with army backing.
He reportedly held secret meetings with government officials, political leaders, and business figures, and collected information on high-level authorities to relay to the foreign agency. Enayet also claimed the US government was dissatisfied with the interim government.
The charge sheet states that Enayet’s actions aimed to overthrow the legal interim government, jeopardizing public security and sovereignty, which is punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act.