The residence of former Bangladesh cricket captain and Awami League MP Shakib Al Hasan was targeted by attackers in Magura on Wednesday evening, hours after he participated in a virtual media event featuring ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. No injuries were reported as the property was unoccupied at the time.
Unidentified assailants attacked the ancestral home of Shakib Al Hasan in Magura town, approximately 170 kilometers southwest of Dhaka, on Wednesday between 8:45 and 9:00 pm. According to police officer Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, the group pelted stones at the residence, damaging windows and allegedly attempting to set the structure ablaze using petrol-filled bottles. A fire was reported on the upper floor of the property, though the building remained empty during the assault and no injuries occurred.
The attack followed Shakib's participation in a virtual address organized by Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister who was ousted in August 2024. The event, held through the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi, marked Hasina's first public media interaction since her removal from power. During the approximately 25-minute audio address, Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh and stated she would face potential imprisonment or death upon her return. She also called for the lifting of the ban on the Awami League party.
Shakib, currently in Sri Lanka, has remained outside Bangladesh since the student-led uprising that toppled Hasina's government. He faces multiple investigations including allegations of murder, embezzlement, fraud, and money laundering. Bangladesh's foreign ministry condemned Hasina's media appearance as an affront to national sovereignty. The attack on Shakib's residence occurred amid broader unrest, with several homes belonging to Awami League leaders and MPs targeted following the change in government.
