A Dhaka court on Thursday granted bail to Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud, arrested in a case filed in connection with the 2018 attack on the convoy of former US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, on a bond of Tk1,000.
Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder’s brother-in-law Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud is listed as the prime accused in the charge sheet for this incident.
Police presented the accused before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka on Thursday. During the hearing, his lawyer applied for bail, while the case's investigating officer requested his continued detention.
After hearing both sides, the court ordered Ishtiaq’s release on bail.
On Wednesday, police arrested the prime accused from Mohammadpur area in the capital.
On the same day, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zaki Al-Farabi accepted the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Detective Branch of DMP against nine people, including a Chhatra League leader, in connection with the 2018 attack.
The accused in the case are Ishtiaq Mahmud, President of Mohammadpur Thana unit of Chhatra League Naimul Hasan alias Russel, Firoz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Saju Islam, Rajibul Islam, Shahidul Alam Khan, Siam, and Oli Ahmed.
In the supplementary chargesheet, Ishtiaq was shown as a fugitive.
After accepting the chargesheet, the magistrate issued an arrest warrant against Ishtiaq.
On September 19, The Detective Branch (DB) submitted a supplementary chargesheet in this regard.
Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on August 10, 2018, over the attack.
On January 18, 2021, the investigation officer of the case Inspector Md Abdur Rouf submitted the chargesheet to the court accusing nine people.
The nine accused were formally charged on March 1, 2022, and the trial commenced on March 28 of the previous year.
On December 4, six witnesses testified in the case.
During their statements, witnesses Badiul Alam Majumdar, Khushi Begum, and Mahbubul Alam Majumder mentioned the name of Ishtiaq.
Later, on December 27, the court lifted the case from the deposition stage and sent it to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka to take necessary steps for further investigation.
On January 1, the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury ordered a further investigation into the case.
