The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested the man who identified himself as an advisor to US President Joe Biden, at Dhaka airport on Sunday (October 29, 2023) afternoon.
Arafi had gone to the airport in an attempt to leave the country for the United States.
Police informed that Arafi was being brought to the DB headquarters on Minto Road in Dhaka for questioning.
Jahidul Islam Arafi, also known as Bellal, is a Bangladeshi American residing in Maryland, USA. He hails from Ullapara upazila in Sirajganj and is known to make regular visits to Bangladesh, as per available information, according to DB source.
On Saturday (October 28) evening, Arafi went to the BNP’s central office at Naya Paltan and spoke to reporters announcing himself as an adviser to Biden. BNP leader Ishraque Hossain was present at the time.
BNP leaders escorted Arafi to the party’s central office in Dhaka, presenting him as an advisor to Joe Biden. They subsequently conducted a press conference during which Arafi pledged “support from US President Joe Biden to facilitate a change in the government in Bangladesh” for both BNP and Jamaat.
Later, the US Embassy in Dhaka has since clarified that reports of any embassy relocation are entirely “false and inaccurate.”
Seated at the BNP office in Nayapaltan alongside BNP leader Ishraque Hossain, who is the son of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Arafi boldly asserted that the US president strongly supports the reinstatement of the caretaker government.
Apart from President Biden, he proudly mentioned his regular communication with officials from the State Department and the US Embassy in Bangladesh. He maintained that influential figures within the US government are endorsing the opposition’s movement aimed at toppling the current government, advocating for a transition without participation in elections, asserting that it is in the best interests of Bangladesh and its citizens.
Besides, videos depicting Arafi seated in the BNP office alongside party leaders are circulating widely on social media. Supporters of the BNP and Jamaat allege that Arafi visited the BNP party office to seek their assistance in a bid to oust the government, purportedly acting on behalf of the Biden administration. Arafi’s remarks suggest that the BNP is actively mobilizing to displace the current government, and there are indications of the Biden administration’s involvement in Bangladeshi politics to facilitate the BNP’s ascendancy. “BNP Allegedly Seeks US Backing for Government Overthrow”
BNP Seeks US Support Amid Ongoing Government Challenge
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) appears to be turning to the United States for support, as its ongoing efforts to topple the government have not yielded results. On the evening of October 26, the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, and several other foreign diplomats joined a dinner meeting with a faction of BNP leaders, just two days before the party’s major rally at Naya Paltan in the capital city.
The issue came to the fore on Friday and drew media curiosity as Jamaat, a political ally of BNP, insisted that it would hold a separate rally on Saturday at Shapla Chattar. When asked, the US embassy, however, did not make specific comments on the meeting.
