DHAKA NEWS
An official of Saudi Embassy in Dhaka was shot dead some 30 yards off his house in Gulshan area of the capital early Tuesday.
Khalaf Al Ali, a Saudi national who joined the embassy about two years ago, was shot once in the left chest, Nurul Alam, assistant commissioner (Patrol) of Gulshan Division,
Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Al Bussairy identified the slain officer as a diplomat. But acting Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal said al Ali was on the non-diplomats’ list of the foreign ministry.
Police are yet to arrest anyone or ascertain the cause of the murder, said Khandker Lutful Kabir, deputy commissioner of Gulshan Division.
This is for the first time in Bangladesh’s history that a foreign embassy official in Dhaka was killed.
Identifying the slain official as a “very soft spoken and polite” person, a Bangladeshi official at the Saudi Embassy said everybody liked him very much.
al Ali, 45, used to live alone at Flat A-4 in House 22/A on Road No. 120 for the past two years, said Taposh Rema, a guard of the house.
According to a Saudi Embassy note verbale (diplomatic communication), some unidentified people attacked the official near his house.
Julfiker Ali, a security guard of House 19/B, and Rabiul Islam, a security guard of House 20/A, that they heard a gunshot around 1:15am and rushed out to see the Saudi official lying on the road in front of House 19/B.
“We immediately rang siren from our house,” Julfikar said.
Hearing the siren, a patrol team of police rushed to the spot and took the bullet-hit Saudi official to United Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Taposh Rema said he saw a white private car leaving the place at a very high speed after the gunshot.
After the incident, personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department of police and Rapid Action Battalion kept the crime scene cordoned.
Al Ali’s body was taken Dhaka Medical College morgue at 4:00pm for autopsy.
The bullet entered near the left chest and went down to hit his right kidney, sources in the morgue said.
Rema said al Ali used to go out of the house around 11:00 every night for jogging and roaming the city on bicycle and return in around two hours.
“As his bicycle needed repair, he went out on foot last night (Monday night),” he said, adding that the Saudi official was wearing trousers, vest and boots and had a bottle of water in his hand.
The Saudi ambassador visited the crime scene in the afternoon.
No case was filed till filing of this report at 7:30pm.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy sent a note verbale to the foreign ministry requesting the ministry and concerned authorities to investigate into the murder, said a foreign ministry source.
Senior foreign ministry officials including the Chief of Protocol and Director General (West Asia) phoned the Saudi Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission and expressed deep shock and sympathy at the murder.
In a statement, the foreign ministry expressed deep shock and sorrow at the killing and conveyed its condolence and sympathy to his bereaved family and the Saudi Mission in Dhaka.
The authorities concerned have already been directed to conduct a full-scale investigation into the incident immediately and bring the perpetrators to justice, said the statement said.
Khalaf Al Ali, a Saudi national who joined the embassy about two years ago, was shot once in the left chest, Nurul Alam, assistant commissioner (Patrol) of Gulshan Division,
Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Al Bussairy identified the slain officer as a diplomat. But acting Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal said al Ali was on the non-diplomats’ list of the foreign ministry.
Police are yet to arrest anyone or ascertain the cause of the murder, said Khandker Lutful Kabir, deputy commissioner of Gulshan Division.
This is for the first time in Bangladesh’s history that a foreign embassy official in Dhaka was killed.
Identifying the slain official as a “very soft spoken and polite” person, a Bangladeshi official at the Saudi Embassy said everybody liked him very much.
al Ali, 45, used to live alone at Flat A-4 in House 22/A on Road No. 120 for the past two years, said Taposh Rema, a guard of the house.
According to a Saudi Embassy note verbale (diplomatic communication), some unidentified people attacked the official near his house.
Julfiker Ali, a security guard of House 19/B, and Rabiul Islam, a security guard of House 20/A, that they heard a gunshot around 1:15am and rushed out to see the Saudi official lying on the road in front of House 19/B.
“We immediately rang siren from our house,” Julfikar said.
Hearing the siren, a patrol team of police rushed to the spot and took the bullet-hit Saudi official to United Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Taposh Rema said he saw a white private car leaving the place at a very high speed after the gunshot.
After the incident, personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department of police and Rapid Action Battalion kept the crime scene cordoned.
Al Ali’s body was taken Dhaka Medical College morgue at 4:00pm for autopsy.
The bullet entered near the left chest and went down to hit his right kidney, sources in the morgue said.
Rema said al Ali used to go out of the house around 11:00 every night for jogging and roaming the city on bicycle and return in around two hours.
“As his bicycle needed repair, he went out on foot last night (Monday night),” he said, adding that the Saudi official was wearing trousers, vest and boots and had a bottle of water in his hand.
The Saudi ambassador visited the crime scene in the afternoon.
No case was filed till filing of this report at 7:30pm.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy sent a note verbale to the foreign ministry requesting the ministry and concerned authorities to investigate into the murder, said a foreign ministry source.
Senior foreign ministry officials including the Chief of Protocol and Director General (West Asia) phoned the Saudi Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission and expressed deep shock and sympathy at the murder.
In a statement, the foreign ministry expressed deep shock and sorrow at the killing and conveyed its condolence and sympathy to his bereaved family and the Saudi Mission in Dhaka.
The authorities concerned have already been directed to conduct a full-scale investigation into the incident immediately and bring the perpetrators to justice, said the statement said.
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