ISLAMABAD: Faisal Karim Masud, identified by Bangladesh police as a suspect in the fatal shooting of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, has denied any involvement in the attack in a video message released from abroad, Indian media reported on Wednesday.
The video, circulating online, shows Masud stating that he is currently in Dubai and insisting he had nothing to do with Hadi’s killing.
“I did not kill Hadi. My family and I are being implicated. I have come to Dubai to protect myself from the witch hunt,” Masud said. He instead blamed Jamaat Shibir, describing Hadi as “a product of Jamat,” and claimed their ties were strictly business-related.
Masud said he met Hadi in a professional capacity as the owner of an IT firm and made political donations in exchange for promises of government contracts, Indian media reported.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was a prominent figure in last year’s uprising that toppled the autocratic rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and was preparing to run in the February 2026 national election, according to AFP.
On Dec. 12, masked assailants shot him as he left a mosque in Dhaka.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore, where he succumbed to his injuries.
His death triggered violent protests across Dhaka, with thousands taking to the streets to demand that his killers be arrested.
Tens of thousands attended his funeral.
Bangladesh police have maintained that the killing was premeditated. “Those behind it have been identified,” S.N. Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, had said.
He added that suspects Masud and Alamgir Sheikh left Bangladesh via the Haluaghat border into India shortly after the attack.
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