Man held in Rajshahi over FB post on PM sniper plot

 
Detectives have detained a young man in Rajshahi over a Facebook comment suggesting that a sniper could have targeted Prime Minister Tarique Rahman while he was travelling on a university bus during a visit to the city.

The suspect, identified as Abu Bokor Siddique, was detained by a team of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) with assistance from the Special Response Battalion (SRB). He is being brought to Dhaka for questioning.

Md Shafiqul Islam, Additional Commissioner (DB) of the DMP, confirmed the detention said that on Thursday, describing the comment as an outrageous threat to the prime minister.

Tarique visited Rajshahi on Tuesday. After landing at Shah Makhdum Airport, he travelled into the city on a bus belonging to the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), as crowds gathered along the roads to welcome him.

The controversy began after a Facebook page, “The Beauty of Rajshahi”, posted about the use of the university bus, questioning why the prime minister had not travelled in his designated red-and-green bulletproof bus.

An account bearing the name “Md Abu Bokor Siddique” commented on the post: “What a golden chance. All that was missing was a sniper.”

The remark subsequently spread across social media, triggering widespread discussion over its implications for the prime minister’s security.

Gaziur Rahman, deputy commissioner and spokesperson for Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said on Wednesday that the person behind the comment had been identified and legal action was under way.