AK-47 rifle magazine found in Bangladesh Adviser Asif Mahmud’s hand baggage inside Dhaka airport
Bangladesh security agencies made no effort to detain and question diplomatic passport holder Asif Mahmud who was allowed to board a Turkish Airlines flight for Marrakech, Morocco
An ammunition magazine was found in a bag belonging to Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. After identification, he took out the magazine from the bag and submitted it to his protocol officer. The incident took place on Sunday (June 29) morning.
Asif Mahmud was flying from Dhaka to Morocco via Turkey on Turkish Airlines flight TK-713. There, he is going to attend the OIC Youth Capital-2025 event in Marrakesh.
Transporting magazines in carry-on luggage is not allowed according to regulations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Aeronautical Publication Information (AIP), Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations. Nonetheless, it is permissible to include bullets and magazines in checked baggage as long as they are declared in advance and packed according to the policy in secure, locked containers.
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain SM Ragib Samad said that during the pre-boarding screening in the morning, the magazine was found in the pouch (small bag) he was carrying. After identifying the magazine, he (Asif Mahmud) said that it had accidentally been in the luggage. He expressed regret over the incident. He also sent the magazine to his protocol officer.
The Turkish Airlines flight left Dhaka for Istanbul at 7 am.
However, the Bangladeshi authorities committed a serious breach of security when they allowed Asif Mahmud’s personal secretary (Joint Secretary rank) Mohammad Abul Hassan to leave Dhaka’s Shah Jalal International Airport without being questioned, leave alone detained for intense interrogation.
Further inquiries by Northeast News revealed that Asif Mahmud’s carry-on baggage was neither put through the mandatory checking and security process when he entered the airport nor was this followed before he stepped into the VIP area.
This alarming episode points to an unmistakable conclusion: Asif Mahmud and most likely the other former students’ coordinators who spearheaded the violent movement against the Sheikh Hasina regime in July-August 2024 possessed or continue to possess high-bore weapons.
“It is improbable that the Directorate of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) is unaware of the weapons and ammunition held by the students’ coordinators. The entire hierarchy within the DGFI and the police ought to be scrutinized for their omissions and actions regarding this issue that impacts national security,” stated a former DGFI chief. Furthermore, the ex-DGFI leader emphasized that an “investigation should be initiated immediately to determine how the students’ coordinators acquired high-grade weapons utilized during the July-August uprising.”.
Source : NorthEastNews
0 Comments