Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, adviser to the LGRD Ministry and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was caught with a magazine loaded with ammunition in his handbag at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday. He was traveling to Morocco via Turkey to attend the OIC Youth Capital-2025 event in Marrakesh.
The loaded magazine was discovered during a routine security check before boarding his Turkish Airlines flight, which departed for Istanbul at 7 am. Airport Executive Director, Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, confirmed the incident and said the magazine was found in a small pouch carried by the adviser.
Asif Mahmud claimed the magazine was packed by mistake and expressed regret. He later handed it over to his protocol officer.
According to international aviation laws — including ICAO, CAAB, and IATA regulations — carrying magazines in cabin baggage is strictly prohibited. Such items may only be transported in checked luggage with proper declaration and secure packaging.
Asif Mahmud has been in the public spotlight recently for controversial decisions, including refusing to approve the oath-taking of Dhaka South City Mayor Ishraque Hossain and facing corruption allegations involving his APS and family.
In March, he made headlines again by stating in a TV interview that student leaders might have launched an armed movement had they failed to overthrow the Awami League government on August 5. Nahid Islam, convener of the Yunus-backed National Citizen Party (NCP), echoed these remarks, saying he had prepared a video statement in advance.
Since August, several Islamist and militant groups—including Islami Chhatra Shibir, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, Hizb ut-Tahrir, and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa—have reportedly claimed involvement in violent attempts to unseat the ruling Awami League, resulting in numerous casualties.
