Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the individual who claimed himself as an advisor to US President Joe Biden during BNP's event at Nayapaltan office on Saturday.
He was apprehended at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday afternoon while attempting to depart for the US.
KN Roy Niaty, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media and PR) of Dhaka Metropalitan Police confirmed this.
Earlier Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the identity of the person has been revealed.
His real name is Mia Jahidul Islam Arif, a Bangladeshi-American residing in the state of Arizona. He hails from Ullapara in Sirajganj.
Jahidul Islam claiming to be President Joe Biden’s ‘adviser’ had addressed a press conference at the BNP headquarters about the clashes over the party’s rally on Saturday.
In the viral video, a man identifying himself as Arafi said that he had sent messages to some people, including US Ambassador Peter Haas, about the situation in Bangladesh.
However, the US Embassy in Dhaka says that the person, identifying himself as Mian Arafi, is not associated with the US government.
A video of BNP leader Engineer Ishraque Hossain’s press conference at the BNP HQ on Saturday evening went viral on social media.
News spread that a delegation of the US Embassy had visited the area after the deadly clash. But the Embassy said it was not true.
When asked about the curious development on Saturday evening, US Embassy spokesman Stephen Ibelli told the media that such information is “completely false”.
Despite the uproar on social media and political circles, the BNP came to its senses after about two to three hours.
In a notification issued at night, the party said it had no information about the person who spoke at the press conference and the BNP was not informed by the US Embassy about him.
The incident has been a topic of discussion on the social media and the political circles.
The US Embassy was quick to issue a clarification. “That gentleman does not speak for the US government. He’s a private individual,” Ibelli said.