US citizen Enayet denied bail again in case over plot to overthrow interim govt

A Dhaka court has rejected the bail petition of Bangladeshi-born US citizen Enayet Karim Chowdhury in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the interim government.

The order was passed by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Sabbir Faiz today (2 November) after a hearing at the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.

State lawyer Omar Faruk Faruqui confirmed the development, saying, "The defence lawyers filed a criminal miscellaneous case challenging the CMM court's earlier order denying bail. We opposed the petition, and after hearing both sides, the court again rejected it."

According to the case statement, at around 10:30am on 13 September, Enayet was seen "moving suspiciously" in a Prado SUV near Minto Road. When police stopped him and asked for an explanation, he allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory answer.

He was detained on the spot, and police seized two iPhones from his possession. Later, a case was filed against him at Ramna Model Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The case further states that Enayet arrived in Bangladesh from New York on 6 September as "an agent of a foreign intelligence agency to overthrow the current legitimate interim government of Bangladesh."

Detectives have interrogated Enayet three times since his detention.

Following his arrest, his associates — SM Golam Mostafa Azad, Kazi Md Mamunur Rashid (secretary general of the Jatiyo Party's Raushan-led faction), and Rifatul Islam Pavel (joint secretary general of Jubo Sanghati) — were also detained and remanded for questioning.

Case documents show that Enayet moved to the United States in 1988 and obtained American citizenship in 2004.