DB seeks info from US embassy over attack on former ambassador Marcia Bernicat

The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has sent a letter to the US embassy in Dhaka seeking information regarding the attack on former ambassador Marcia Bernicat.

Five years have passed since the attack on former US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat's motorcade, but no one has been arrested nor brought to justice. 

Recently, the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) to investigate the case further. 

DB police's Assistant Commissioner Rajon Kumar Shaha on Thursday (31 August) wrote a letter to the US embassy in Dhaka seeking cooperation after taking up the investigation charge. 

The letter asked the embassy to share 'information' and 'observations' if they have any regarding this case.

Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid, additional commissioner of DB, said, "We will finish the investigation very soon. We have written to them asking if the embassy has any information that they can help us with."

Related sources confirmed that DB Assistant Commissioner Rajan Kumar Saha has been appointed as the investigating officer of the case after court ordered further investigation.

He sent the letter to the embassy which was later forwarded to the Senior Foreign Service National Investigator in the Regional Security Office of the US embassy. 

The incident was mentioned in detail in the letter. It was also noted that in March 2021, the court accepted a charge sheet and framed charges against nine people in the case. Most of them are involved in ruling party politics.

The accused are - Feroz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Naimul Islam, Rajibul Islam, Saju Islam, Shahidul Alam Khan, Siam, Oli Ahmed and Mojahid Azmi. 

However, the Public Prosecutor (PP) of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Abdullah Abu requested further investigation. Following the petition, the court ordered further investigation. The investigation officer of the case has already visited the spot, the letter said. He also spoke with the plaintiff Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of the civil rights body Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujon).

On the night of 4 August 2018, the then-US Ambassador in Dhaka, Marcia Bernicat, attended a dinner at the Mohammadpur residence of Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Sujan. She was attacked when she was getting into the car after dinner.  Marcia Bernicat served as the US Ambassador to Dhaka from 2015 to 2018.