The man, convicted for shooting Bangladesh's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dead, sped away as Canadian national CBC TV network approached him for comments on his role in the assassination and the story he told the Canadian officials for his protection.

"Sir, if we could just have . . . just a quick conversation . . . I just want know if you have been truthful with Canadians about your role in the assassination," a CBC TV journalist was seen asking someone onboard a white SUV car, which was about to be get started.

The man was one of fugitive convicts, sacked major Nur Chowdhury, while CBS TV's investigative journalist Mark Kelly described him as someone who pitted Canada against Bangladesh as he was living in Canada for the past 27 years.

In reply to the CBS TV journalist's question, the killer was heard saying "just a second, just a second, I have an (indistinct chatter)" and then hastily maneuvered the car and subsequently sped away. The report also showed a glimpse of him on the balcony of an apartment in Toronto.

The presenter and colleague at that point were seen to run after Nur's car few steps in their attempt to persuade him to stop and talk and then Kelly commented "after 27 years living freely in Canada, it seems he has nothing more to add".

Most plotters of the August 15, 1975 putsch fled the country in 1996 when the general elections brought Bangabandhu's Awami League back to power while until then they were protected from justice under an infamous indemnity law.

Nur took refuge in Canada and continued to live there a quiet life and for years his whereabouts were unknown.

The CBS TV's popular investigative segment The Fifth State aired the 42-minute documentary two days ago with a title -- Assassin Next Door - questioning "Why the killer of Bangladesh's first president is free in Canada".

Returning to power after exhausting 21 years in a political wilderness Awami League scrapped the Indemnity Act to expose the killers to justice while after a protracted legal process Noor and 11 other sacked military officers were sentenced to death and six of them were hanged so far.

The rests were on the run abroad while the government later confirmed one of them to have died a natural death while he was in hiding in Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh authorities could confirm the current abode of another convict sacked major Rashed Chowdhury in the United States while the Interpol had issued a red alert for the fugitives as part of efforts to track them down.

In a comment to the Canadian TV network years ago, Nur, however, said he was not at the carnage scene at the time when Bangabandhu was killed along with most of his family members. "That's not true, I wasn't there. I was nowhere near that place," he told in an audio comment to the TV, visibly evading his personal visual appearance on the TV screen.

Kelly, who made the documentary talked to the key-people relating to the Bangabandhu Murder Trial, and all of them binned Nur's claim with Bangabandhu's daughter and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calling it an "absolute lie".

Current Law Minister Anisul Huq who was a key prosecution lawyer in the trial alongside his lawyer father Serajul Huq, chief police investigator of the case Abdul Kahhar Akand and the current CID chief who preserved the case documents also rejected Nur's denial.

They said most of his co-accused who faced the trial in person described Nur's role during the investigation process.

Extradition issue

The documentary focused mainly on Nur's extradition issue and unearthed that in 2002 the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) had ruled he was a "fugitive from justice" and his alibi was "simply implausible".

The then Canadian minister for public safety Stockwell Day appeared in the documentary and said he had reviewed Nur's file and strongly felt "he shouldn't be here (in Canada)" and then his office went to the Canadian court supporting the IRB decision to send him back to Bangladesh.

According to the legal procedure a decision was made that Nur must go back home.

"But (Nur) Chowdhury had a last lifeline. Five years earlier the Supreme Court ruled it was violation of charter of rights to deport any from Canada who faced death or torture back home," the documentary presenter commented.

He said Nur took the advantage of the ruling saying that would exactly happen to him if he was deported, prompting Bangladesh to go to Canadian federal court to know his legal status while the court "ordered Canada to rethink its position".

Canadian government then informed Bangladesh that while "there may be benefits in disclosing information regarding Nur Chowdhury, those benefits do not take precedence over Canada's stance regarding death penalty".

"(But) there is one important loophole to that stance. The Supreme Court ruled people could be sent to their deaths under exception circumstances," the presenter commented reviewing the ruling.

Kelly interviewed a senior law professor of Dalhousie University Robn Currie, a specialist on international criminal law, who said "in this area of law, it's probably the most mysterious phrase that there is".

Currie said when the court first formulated the phrase, "some people called it the bin Laden clause, meaning if someone like Osama bin Laden were to show up in Canada, we would overcome our aversion to the death penalty and say in the greater interest of justice, this person should be extradited or deported".

The law professor said he thought the Canada was in an uncomfortable position with Nur being in Canada.

The presenter posed a question for the audience if taking part "in the assassination of a world leader and 21 members of his household including a 10-year-old boy" (Bangabandhu's son Sheikh Russell) were an "exceptional circumstances" and added "it's a clause that has never been tested before".

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada Khalilur Rahman told the presenter that Dhaka wanted Canadian authority to take the case before their Supreme Court and "if your Supreme Court says that no, he cannot be deported, we will accept. And then we can take the other options".

Asked why Bangladesh was not taking the other options now, a visibly frustrated envoy said "they (Canadian authority) are not talking".

"We need to talk, we need dialogue," Rahman said.

Currie, the law professor, called the silence of the Canadian authority "the missing piece".

Going back to Canada's former public safety minister, the presenter sought his opinion if Canada was harbouring an assassin or standing up for human rights.

In reply Stockwell Day said Canada would be standing on a "moral high ground" by saying "He (Nur) is accountable for what he has done and we should negotiate with Bangladesh to see how we can get him out of here and put him back in the hands of people of Bangladesh".

The documentary then showed Nur working in the garden on the balcony of what appeared to be his apartment when the presenter commented "far from the diplomatic crossfire, Nur Chowdhury carries on his quiet life".

Kelly and his TV crew then visibly awaited Nur to descend and get on his white SUV car to be approached with his question, which he evaded, speeding away.

The presenter is then seen at the Dhaka residence of Huq, who previously stood as a lawyer for prosecuting Nur in absentia for the murder of Bangladesh's Father of the Nation and now fighting for his extradition as the law minister.

Kelly asked him if he believed Nur had got away with murder and after a momentary pause, the reply came with a smile on Huq's face.

"So far . . . yes. So far yes, but we will see to the end," Huq said.

American and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes Saturday against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, following weeks of unrelenting attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed rebels.

The strikes "specifically targeted 18 Huthi targets across eight locations in Yemen" including weapons storage facilities, attack drones, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter, a joint statement said.

It was co-signed by Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, who gave unspecified "support" to the new round of strikes, the second this month and fourth since the rebels began their attacks on ships in the region.

"The Huthis' now more than 45 attacks on commercial and naval vessels since mid-November constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response," the statement said.

Huthi-run Al-Masirah television reported "a series of raids on the capital Sanaa," while AFP correspondents in the rebel-controlled city in western Yemen said they heard several loud bangs.

"The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement after the strikes.

"We will continue to make clear to the Huthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage, and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries."

Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree was defiant, vowing in a social media statement that the rebels would "confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas."

The UK Ministry of Defence said four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s targeted "several very long-range drones, used by the Houthis for both reconnaissance and attack missions," on Saturday, at a site north-east of Sanaa.

Saturday's operation comes after several merchant vessels were struck this week in the region, including the fertilizer-filled Rubymar, whose crew had to abandon ship after it was hit Sunday and began taking on water.

Apart from the joint operations with Britain, the United States has also carried out unilateral strikes against Huthi positions and weaponry in Yemen, and downed dozens of missiles and drones in the Red Sea.

- Anti-ship missile downed -

Earlier on Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that an American Navy ship had shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile "launched into the Gulf of Aden from Iranian-backed Huthi controlled areas of Yemen."

The missile "was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker," CENTCOM said on X, formerly Twitter.

US forces on Friday also shot down three attack drones near commercial ships in the Red Sea and destroyed seven anti-ship cruise missiles on land, CENTCOM said.

The Huthis say they are targeting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

Following previous US and UK strikes, the Huthis declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

The Huthis will "persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties towards the Palestinian people, and their military operations will not stop unless the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," military spokesman Saree said.

Anger over Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza -- which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 -- has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Israel launched air strikes Thursday on southern Gaza's Rafah after threatening to send troops into the city, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter from around the territory.

Global powers trying to navigate a way to end the Israel-Hamas war have so far come up short, but a US envoy was expected in Israel on Thursday to try to secure a truce deal.

International concern has spiralled over the high civilian death toll and dire humanitarian crisis in the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack against Israel.

More than four months of relentless fighting and air strikes have flattened much of the Hamas-run coastal territory, pushing its population of around 2.4 million to the brink of famine, according to the UN.

International concern has in recent weeks centred on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes elsewhere in the territory are now living in crowded shelters and makeshift tents.

The last city untouched by Israeli ground troops, Rafah also serves as the main entry point via neighbouring Egypt for desperately needed relief supplies.

Israel has warned it will expand its ground operations into Rafah if Hamas does not free the remaining hostages held in Gaza by next month's start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

- 'My daughter' -

The war started when Hamas launched its attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages -- 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 29,313 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.

War cabinet member Benny Gantz said Israel's operation in Rafah would begin "after the evacuation of the population", although his government has not offered any details on where civilians would be evacuated to.

In the early hours of Thursday, AFP reporters heard multiple air strikes on Rafah, particularly in the Al-Shaboura neighbourhood.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said early Thursday that 99 people had been killed around Gaza during the night, most of them women, children and elderly people.

Abdel Rahman Mohamed Jumaa said he lost his family in recent strikes on Rafah.

"I found my wife lying in the street," he told AFP. "Then I saw a man carrying a girl and I ran towards him and.... picked her up, realising she was really my daughter."

He was holding a small shrouded corpse in his arms.

- 'Possibility of progress' -

Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, was expected to arrive in Israel Thursday -- his second stop in the region after Egypt as part of US efforts to advance a hostage deal and broker a truce.

Hamas's chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo for talks as well, according to the group.

Israel's Gantz said there were efforts to "promote a new plan for the return of the hostages".

"We are seeing the first signs that indicate the possibility of progress in this direction."

Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, said Washington was hoping for an "agreement that secures a temporary ceasefire where we can get the hostages out and get humanitarian assistance", but declined to give details on ongoing negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the remaining hostages.

Israel's parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a proposal by Netanyahu to oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote came days after the Washington Post reported that US President Joe Biden's administration and a small group of Arab nations were working out a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

It included a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the report said.

Separately, a report by an Israeli group that fights sexual violence said Hamas's October 7 attack also involved systematic sexual assaults on civilians, based on witness testimonies, public and classified information, and interviews.

The report came the same week UN rights experts called for an independent probe into alleged Israeli abuses against Palestinian women and girls -- which Israel rejected as "despicable and unfounded claims".

Israeli officials have repeatedly alleged the militants committed violent sexual assaults during the attack -- something Hamas has denied.

- 'Waiting for death' -

Combat and chaos have stalled sporadic aid deliveries for civilians in Gaza, while in Khan Yunis -- a city just north of Rafah -- medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an Israeli tank had fired on a house sheltering their employees and families.

Two relatives of MSF staff were killed and six others injured, it said, condemning the strike in the "strongest possible terms".

When contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli army said its forces had "fired at a building that was identified as a building where terror activity is occurring", adding that it "regrets" harm to civilians.

In the same town, the Palestinian Red Crescent said another hospital was also hit by "artillery shelling".

Israel has repeatedly said Hamas militants use civilian infrastructure including hospitals as operational bases -- claims that Hamas has denied.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for expanding business between Bangladesh and India using their own currencies.

"We can do our business through exchanges of Bangladeshi Taka and Indian Rupee. It has already started, but we have to expand it further so that we can increase our businesses," she said while Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar paid a call on the Prime Minister.

The meeting was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the conference venue, here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting upon its completion.

The Foreign Minister said the Bangladesh Premier and Jaishankar attached importance to doing business between the two friendly countries through their own currencies to reduce dependency on other currencies like the US dollar.

He said Bangladesh and India have excellent bilateral relations and it has elevated to another height under the leadership of the prime ministers of the two countries.

"The relations between the countries are getting stronger day by day," he said, adding that the two leaders discussed the issues during the meeting.

Quoting Jaishankar, Hasan said, "Our relations will further be closer in the days ahead." 

Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.

Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.

Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.

(BSS)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all concerned to find ways to stop Russia-Ukraine war while holding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war. Today, she discussed time and again about how the war can be stopped while holding talks with Zelenskyy," said Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at a news briefing after the meeting.

The meeting between the two leaders was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof here on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024, this morning.

Hasan also said that they also discussed how the attacks on innocent men and women in Gaza can be stopped.

The Premier reminded all that war can't bring wellbeing for any one.

"Others can be benefitted from the war. But the war cannot bring welfare for the countries  involved in war and their people have to be affected by the war," said Sheikh Hasina.

In this connection, the Prime Minister recollected her memories about the sufferings of  the countrymen and she herself faced during the Great War of Liberation in 1971.

She recalled her inhuman sufferings and the birth of her only son Sajeeb Wazed Joy under the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces during the War.

"Bangladesh's foreign policy - 'Friendship to all, malice to none’ - prominently came up in the discussion between Prime Minister and Zelenskyy," the foreign minister said.

Replying to a query, Hasan said the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia which got foundation during the Liberation war , will not hamper at all.

"Our relationship with Russia is very wonderful. Russia stood beside us during the Liberation War and played a pivotal role in rebuilding Bangladesh after the war," he said.

He said they only discussed how to stop the war.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and PM's Deputy Press Secretary Md. Noorelahi Mina were present during the briefing.

Bangladesh Prime Minister arrived in Munich on February 15 evening on a three-day official visit to join the Munich Security Conference 2024.

Upon completion of the tour, Sheikh Hasina will leave Munich tomorrow night and is scheduled to reach Dhaka on February 19.

(BSS)