Journalist Shaukat Mahmood sent to jail

A court has ordered journalist Shaukat Mahmood to be sent to jail in connection with a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Ramna Model Police Station over alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the government.

The order was issued on Monday by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Juel Rana.

He was produced before the court earlier in the day, after which the investigating officer, Inspector Md Akhtar Morshed of DB Police, sought a 10-day remand along with a petition for jail custody.

The court ordered that he be sent to jail, and scheduled December 11 for the remand hearing.

He was arrested by DB Police on Sunday at 3.30pm from the Ramna area.

According to case documents, Enayet Karim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-origin US citizen, travelled to Bangladesh on September 6 allegedly as an agent of a foreign intelligence agency with the motive of toppling the existing interim government. On September 13, at around 10.30am, he was seen moving suspiciously in a Prado vehicle near Minto Road.

Upon being stopped by police, he failed to provide a reason for his presence, leading to his detention. Police seized two iPhones from his possession and later filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

DB Police interrogated Enayet Karim across three remand phases.