Who is Mian Arefy, the man posing as adviser to US President Joe Biden

On 28 October, a video surfaced on social media showing a man in a pink shirt  seated at the BNP's Nayapaltan office, addressing a press conference.

He was sitting next to Ishraq Hossain, a BNP leader who had run for the mayor seat of Dhaka North a couple of years ago.

The man in pink – Mian Arefy – gave two introductions: one as a member of the National Democratic Committee and another as an advisor to US President Joe Biden.

In a clip of his address, Arefy can be heard talking about his "strong connection" with US President Joe Biden.

"We exchange text messages – at least 10-15 times a day," he says.

He also talked about BNP's rally and subsequent violence that followed.

"I heard the gunshots. I have seen with my eyes. I am the witness," he says.

Although the audio of the clip is hard to understand at some points, Arefy does offer a vague background of his upbringing also.

"This country killed my mother and father," he says.

Arefy's sudden appearance has also raised a number of questions.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has asked that he be arrested immediately for posing as an adviser to the US president.

The US Embassy in Dhaka, meanwhile, has also distanced itself from Arefy.

"This gentleman does not speak for the US government and is a private individual," a US Embassy spokesperson has said.

With no one claiming any knowledge, what do we know about Arefy so far?

A web of lies?

Arefy's Facebook profile remains locked.

The biography, however, is visible.

His Facebook bio says he worked at Capitol Hill in Washington DC, the heart of the American government.

It also says he works at "Members of the National Democretic Committee." 

The misspelling – Democratic – raises doubts.

But furthermore, a National Democratic Committee doesn't exist. The Democratic National Committee (DNC), on the other hand, does, but it is part of the United States Democratic Party.

The DNC, in its website, mentions that it has six elected members representing Democrats Abroad.

Arefy's name, however, is not in the current DNC Members' list.

Aside from that, the DNC has more than 200 elected members from all 50 states.

These members maintain a profile which is public enough to be easily verified.

For Arefy, this is not the case.

As for his claims of being an adviser to the US president, even that has been rubbished by the US Embassy in Dhaka.

Arefy also claims to be a graduate of Cornell Engineering in the US. He also says he studied at the Government Edward College in Pabna and completed his schooling in Pabna Zilla School.

Not much else can be gleaned from Arefy's Facebook account.

He has been tagged in photos posted by one Abdul Baten Hiru. One photo from 2022 shows Arefy surrounded by people at Ullapara Akbar Ali Govt College.

Arefy is wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words "USA", styled after the American flag.

In the post, Arefy is quoted as extending his regards to the entire administration of the college and saying he would share the good experience with his "colleague's in Washington DC."

He signs the post off by mentioning that he is a member of the "Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC."

His LinkedIn account makes no mention of his political identity but does mention that he works at a US retail shop.

No other information is publicly available on him.