Jamaat leader Akhteruzzaman sued over threats at Dhaka airport

Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former lawmaker Major (retd) Mohammad Akhteruzzaman has been sued over alleged threats to the executive director (ED) of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the physical harassment of a security official.

The case was filed at Airport Police Station by Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh security officer Shahriar Alam Sajib early Friday (October 2).

Police said the allegations include obstructing government duties, issuing threats and assaulting an on-duty security official. The case is under investigation.

The allegations stem from an incident on Thursday involving passengers of Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG 338 from Medina. Delays in baggage handling and the delivery of Zamzam water reportedly triggered frustration among passengers and led to an altercation at the airport.

According to the case statement, Airport Executive Director Group Captain SM Ragib Samad went to the area after being called by Dhaka-5 MP Mohammad Kamal Hossain to help manage the situation. Akhteruzzaman allegedly confronted him, used abusive language and threatened to assault him and remove him from the airport.

The case statement further alleges that people accompanying Akhteruzzaman were recording video inside a restricted KPI area. When security supervisor Warrant Officer Mohammad Kamal Uddin objected, Akhteruzzaman allegedly verbally abused and physically assaulted him. The alleged assault was not captured on CCTV, but the complainant said it could be established through witness accounts.

Akhteruzzaman is also accused of behaving aggressively towards a Biman representative and throwing Zamzam water bottles belonging to passengers from a trolley.

Police said they would examine CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence before taking further legal action.