2004 attack on UK envoy: Appeal verdict tomorrow

The Supreme Court fixed tomorrow for delivering verdict on the appeals of two Huji death row convicts including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan against the High Court judgement in a case filed for the 2004 grenade attack on the then UK envoy in Bangladesh.

A four member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha set the date today after concluding hearing on the appeals.

During hearing Attorney General Mahbubey Alam prayed to the apex court to uphold the death sentence of the convicts saying they had directly participated in the attack to kill the UK envoy Anwar Chowdhury.

Meanwhile, defense council Helal Uddin Mollah prayed to the court to commute the death sentence of the convicts saying that they had been serving in jail for a long period.

The HC on February 11 upheld death penalty of three Huji members, including Mufti Hannan, and life imprisonment of two others over the 2004 grenade attack.

The two other condemned operatives of the outlawed militant outfit are Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain alias Ripon.

The HC also upheld the life imprisonment of Muhibullah alias Muhibur Rahman alias Ovi and Mufti Main Uddin alias Abu Zandal, also Huji members.

Later on, Mufti Hannan and Bipul filed separate appeal with the SC challenging the HC verdict on them.

In 2004, former UK high commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury along with around 70 others was hurt and three were killed in the attack at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet.

The Bangladesh-born envoy, barely 18 days into his new assignment, suffered minor leg injuries in the grenade attack after Juma prayers.

On December 23, 2008, the Sylhet Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Mufti Hannan, Bipul and Ripon to death, and Ovi and Abu Zandal to life imprisonment for the grenade attack and the killings.

Additional Attorney General Murad Reza appeared for the state, while advocate-on-record Shamsul Alam was present for the convicts.