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Dhaka, Saturday, December 13, 2025 — New and sensitive information has come to light suggesting that several prominent activists were potential targets of planned attacks, and authorities were allegedly informed beforehand — but no action was taken.
Yesterday, Friday (December 12), Sharif Osman bin Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and an independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 parliamentary seat, was seriously injured in a shooting and is now receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital.
According to a major media report, besides Hadi, several other leaders were also on the list of people at risk of targeted killings. These include:
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Hasnat Abdullah, chief organizer of the South region of the National Citizens Party (NCP)
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Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad, general secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party
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Several other July activists
In September, an expatriate lawyer in the United Kingdom received credible information about possible attacks and shared these details with government intelligence agencies and senior officials in a timely manner. In fact, Hadi and three other activists themselves brought the threat to the attention of responsible authorities. The expatriate lawyer also held multiple meetings with relevant parties abroad about the issue.
According to sources, the lawyer provided credible information — including specific sources — to the authorities, citing connections with major security agencies in several countries due to his professional work. He warned that if necessary measures were not taken quickly, danger was imminent.
Barrister Fuad told reporters that they had informed the government about the threat from extremely reliable sources, but no action was taken. He added that simply increasing personal security would not be effective under the current circumstances because it’s not possible to conduct grassroots-level politics with only police protection like in developed countries.
He also said they repeatedly told the government that a large operation against terror groups must be conducted before the election, including a major drive to seize illegal weapons. Without that, he argued, it would be impossible to hold a fair election — merely arresting petty offenders in showy operations would be dangerous for everyone.
Sources say that after receiving information about planned attacks on Hadi, Fuad, and Hasnat Abdullah, the UK-based lawyer came to Dhaka immediately. He met individually with them to discuss details and held multiple private meetings to determine what to do. Concerned about the seriousness of the threats, the information was also forwarded to various intelligence agencies. However, the attack on Hadi could not be prevented, and the risk remains for others on the list.
Meanwhile, police sources suggest that the attack on Hadi may involve terrorists based abroad. A name has emerged: “Philip, also known as Garo Philip,” who is believed to be a contract killer involved in the incident. Efforts are underway to arrest him. If Philip is captured, authorities hope to uncover who else is behind the killing mission.
