All incidents of 28 October violence were related: DB says after questioning Arefy

The attack on the chief justice's residence on 28 October, on police hospital, journalists, killing of the policeman, and the press conference where Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy posed as Biden's adviser are all related, Detective Branch (DB) Chief Harun-Or-Rashid said today.

A four-member team of Detective Branch (DB), including the chief, 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 28 October – at Kashimpur jail in Gazipur on Tuesday.

"We are investigating these issues and whatever else is 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.

Police had earlier arrested Lieutenant General Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardi (retd) in a case accusing him of committing treason by resorting to lies in a bid to destabilise the country.

Harun also said Arefy spoke to several BNP leaders including Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas, Shimul Biswas and Abdul Awal Mintoo on different days, and different times before the press conference on 28 October.

Arefy has been in Kashimpur jail for the last six days. 

He was taken there from the Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj) on Tuesday.

Earlier on 28 October, Arefy went to BNP's central office in Nayapaltan 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 backdrop of the BNP suspending 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, were 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.