Police have submitted a charge sheet against nine persons, including Chhatra League leader Naimul Hasan Russel, for an attack on former US ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s motorcade.
The charge sheet states that Bernicat had attended a dinner at the home of Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance). The attack was launched out of suspicion that anti-government conspiracies were being hatched at the meeting.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) recently submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court.
Deputy commissioner of DMP’s crime and information department Md Jafor Hossain confirmed this.
Marcia Bernicat had attended a dinner at SUJAN secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar’s residence in Mohammedpur of the capital city on 4 August 2018. She was returning home after the diner at around 11:00pm when a group of armed motorbike riders attacked her car. When they were obstructed as they approached the motorcade, the assailants punched two members of the ambassador’s security team. They kicked two of the vehicles as the motorcade sped away. Badiul Alam Majumdar filed a case with the Mohammedpur police station regarding the incident.
According to the charge sheet, suspecting that there was an anti-government conspiracy going on, leaders and activists of the local Awami League and its affiliated organisations, led by local Chhatra League leader Naimul Hasan, hurled brickbats at the motorcade. When they chased US ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s car, she sped away. They threw brickbats at Badiul Alam Majumdar’s house, breaking his windows. They threatened the lives of Badiul Alam Majumdar, his wife and children.
The nine accused named in the charge sheet are Chhatra League leader Naimul Hasan, Firoz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Shahidul Alam Khan, Tanha alias Mujahid, Saju Islam, Rajibul Islam, Md Siam and Oli Ahmed.
Bernicat was appointed as the US ambassador to Bangladesh on February 4, 2015 and she left Dhaka on November 2, 2018 after her tenure ended.
The United States, after the attack, in a diplomatic note to the foreign ministry, sought a thorough investigation into the attack on the official vehicle of its ambassador in Dhaka.
The US embassy in a note to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police also said a vehicle carrying Bernicat was attacked by a group of armed people, some of whom were on motorcycles.
The ambassador’s security team was able to gather the identity of two individuals of the group who shouted during the attack claiming that Badrul was involved in anti-government activities, officials said, referring to the note sent to the metropolitan police.
Right before the incident, sensing the presence of the miscreants, the police and the embassy security staff hurriedly escorted the ambassador to her vehicle.
The attackers punched two of the security personnel who were trying to obstruct them from reaching the ambassador and the vehicles of her motorcade.
The embassy also informed the foreign ministry in the note that the ambassador and her security team departed the area unharmed.
The attackers, however, hit two vehicles with sticks when the convoy was departing.
