Former Textiles and Jute minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui was arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Wednesday in connection with a case over alleged crimes against humanity related to the killings surrounding Hefazat-e-Islam's rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.
He was arrested from his residence in Gulshan at around 6pm, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (DB) Mohammad Shafiqul Islam confirmed.
"There was an arrest warrant against him in a case before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)," Shafiqul told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Siddiqui appeared before the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, he said he had decided to surrender before the International Crimes Tribunal in the crimes against humanity case. He added that if he was not arrested beforehand, he planned to surrender on Sunday or Monday next week and seek bail.
The ICT case stems from allegations of crimes against humanity linked to the killings surrounding Hefazat-e-Islam's rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.
A decorated freedom fighter, Siddiqui was elected to parliament five times as an Awami League lawmaker and was appointed minister in 2009. In 2014, he resigned from the cabinet and was expelled from the Awami League following controversial remarks about the Hajj pilgrimage.
In the disputed 2024 general election, he was elected to parliament as an independent candidate. Later that year, after the Awami League government was ousted during the student-led mass uprising and parliament was dissolved, he ceased to be a member of parliament.
