UNB, Dhaka: Plainclothes police arrested BNP Joint Secretary General Aslam Chowdhury from the capital city on Sunday for his alleged involvement in an anti-state plot. Members of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the BNP leader from his vehicle around 6:45pm in the city’s Khilkhet area, DMP Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam told UNB. A DB official wishing anonymity said Aslam was arrested at Khilkhet on his way to Narayanganj. He said police also arrested one of his accomplices and driver. The arrest was made hours after Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Iqbal Bahar said there was an order so that Aslam Chowdhury cannot leave the country and he will be arrested whenever he will be found. Several local newspapers published reports attaching more than one photographs of the BNP leader’s meeting with Israeli influential leader Mendi N Safadi. But, Aslam denied any conspiracy against the government although he admitted to meeting Safadi in a tea party in India. Earlier on Tuesday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said they have enough information about BNP’s meeting with Mossad. “If those are put together, the government ‘can ban BNP overnight.” He had also said: “We’ve information that they (BNP) are trying to portray Bangladesh as a fanatic state and convince the Israeli intelligence agency that its relations with Israel will improve if BNP comes to power.” Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir brushed aside the allegation, saying: “We want to equivocally say BNP has full support to Palestinian people’s struggle for their rights and sovereignty. We’ve repeatedly talked in favour of it at different forums and in the United Nations.”
