Bangladeshi-origin American held in Dhaka on ‘espionage’ charges

A Bangladeshi-origin American citizen has been arrested in Dhaka on suspicion of acting as a foreign intelligence operative with the alleged intent of destabilising Bangladesh’s interim government. Enayet Karim Chowdhury, 55, a dual national resident in the United States, was detained on Saturday, 13 September, after police observed him driving suspiciously in a black Toyota Prado SUV along Minto Road, where most government advisers reside. He was stopped during a routine patrol, questioned, and subsequently taken into custody after failing to provide credible explanations for his movements. Later that evening, Chowdhury was presented before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Dilruba Afroz Tithi. The court ordered him into seven days’ judicial remand at Dhaka Central Jail, pending a hearing scheduled for 15 September....