A four-member team of Detective Branch (DB) including Chief Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid questioned Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy, the self-proclaimed adviser to US President Joe Biden who spoke to the press from the BNP’s central office on October 28, at Kashimpur jail in Gazipur on Tuesday.
After questioning, Harun-or-Rashid told reporters they were able to learn that the attack on the chief justice’s residence on October 28, the attack on the police hospital, the brutal killing of the policeman, the attack on journalists and the press conference posing as Biden’s adviser are all related.
“We are investigating these issues and whatever else is also there,” Harun said.
“A lot of information has come out from the interrogation of former army officer Sarwardy. We are trying to know more from the so-called adviser about the things that Sarwardy hasn’t admitted,” he added.
He also said that Arefy spoke to several BNP leaders including Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas, Shimul Biswas, Abdul Awal Mintoo on different days, and different times before the press conference on October 28.
Arefy has been locked in Kashimpur jail for the last six days. He was taken to Kashimpur High Security Jail from Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj) on Tuesday.
Earlier on October 28, Arefy went to BNP’s central office in Naya Paltan and spoke to reporters, introducing himself as an “adviser to Biden.”
Sitting with BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, Arefy even went as far as to claim that the US president is “in full favour of restoration of the caretaker government.”
He also said he had a role in having the sanctions imposed on RAB and seven of its serving or former officers in December 2021. Against the background of the BNP being forced to abandon its rally earlier that day, he threatened new sanctions against the police for its action against the BNP, that he would be relaying to the White House.
Videos of Arefy sitting at the BNP office, surrounded by party leaders, was circulated on social media by pro-BNP and Jamaat netizens claiming that Arefy, “on behalf of Biden,” came to BNP’s party office to support their cause to overthrow the government.
