Firearms, motorcycle used in Hadi attack recovered, 1 held
Staff Reporter :
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has recovered the firearms and other materials used in the attempted assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a spokesperson for Inqilab Moncho and an aspiring parliamentary candidate, and arrested at least one suspect as investigators widen their probe into the brazen daylight attack that has rattled the capital’s political circles.
RAB officials said on Tuesday that two foreign-made pistols, two magazines, a toy pistol and 41 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Taruar Beel, a water body in the Taruar area of Narsingdi Sadar, where the weapons had been dumped after the shooting.
The recovery was carried out on December 16, following what officials described as intelligence-led operations.
An individual identified as Md Faisal, 25, was arrested in connection with the case, RAB said, adding that further investigation was underway to identify and apprehend others believed to have been involved.
The latest arrest follows a series of detentions linked to the attack on Hadi, who was shot in broad daylight in the Paltan area of Dhaka on Friday.
A day earlier, RAB arrested Md Kabir, described as a close aide of the prime accused, Faisal Karim Masud. Authorities had also detained Masud’s wife, Samia, his friend Monika, and his brother-in-law Shipu as part of the expanding investigation.
Hadi, who is seeking to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency, was critically injured in the shooting and was later flown to Singapore for advanced medical treatment. An air ambulance carrying him departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:55 p.m. on Monday, according to officials.
In a parallel development, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit said it had recovered the motorcycle, helmet and a fake number plate used by the attackers to carry out the assault.
The items were found abandoned in the Banalata Residential Area of West Agargaon, under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, on December 14.
CTTC officials said analysis of closed-circuit television footage revealed that the attackers had changed the motorcycle’s number plate to evade identification.
Acting on a tip-off, investigators recovered the motorcycle and helmet from the ground-floor parking area of a residential building in Banalata.
The fake number plate was later retrieved from inside a nearby manhole, where it had been discarded.
Investigators also traced the ownership history of the motorcycle, uncovering a complex trail of transfers that they say was designed to obscure its origin.
The vehicle was initially owned by a man named Abdur Rahman and was subsequently sold multiple times—to individuals identified as Shahidul, Russel, Marketplace, Obaidul Islam, Anarul, and again Anarul—before returning to Obaidul and ultimately being purchased by a person named Shuvo.
After changing hands at least eight times, the motorcycle was finally registered in the name of Mainuddin Islam using the national identity card of Md Kabir, the associate of the prime suspect already in custody, CTTC officials said.
The recovered motorcycle, helmet and fake number plate have since been handed over to the Detective Branch of police for further examination.
Authorities said the findings so far point to a coordinated and premeditated operation, and indicated that additional arrests could follow as the investigation continues.
