2004 attack on UK envoy: Mufti Hannan files review plea

Mufti Abdul Hannan, chief of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji), today filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking review of its judgement that upheld his death penalty in a case filed for the 2004 grenade attack on the then UK envoy in Bangladesh.

The condemned militant leader submitted the petition also seeking acquittal of his death penalty.

Mufti Abdul Hannan’s lawyer Advocate Mohammad Ali told The Daily Star that the Appellate Division of the SC will fix a date later for hearing the review petition.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star that if the SC dismisses Mufti Hannan’s petition, the jail authorities can execute his death sentence.

Mufti Hannan, however, can seek clemency from the president to save his life, he added.

The SC on December 7 last year upheld death penalty of three Huji militants-- Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain alias Ripon -- in the case filed for the 2004 grenade attack on Anwar Chowdhury, UK High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

On January 17 this year, the apex court released the full text of its verdict in the case.

In 2004, former UK High Commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Chowdhury was hurt along with around 70 others 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.

Mufti Hannan is also an accused in 24 other criminal cases including those filed for the grenade attack on the Awami League rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka on August 21, 2004. Twenty-four people were killed and around 300 others were injured in the grenade attack.

Trial proceedings of those 24 cases are now running in the trial courts.