Wing Commander Md Saifur Rahman of Bangladesh Air Force has been detained for his alleged involvement in the forced disappearance and murder of BNP leader and former Member of Parliament, M Ilias Ali.
An Air Force source confirmed the detention to TIMES of Bangladesh on Tuesday.
When asked for comment, Lieutenant Colonel Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury, director of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told TIMES that further information regarding the matter would be provided later.
The allegations against the Air Force officer emerged following a statement by Warrant Officer Imrul Kayes of Bangladesh Army.
On 21 June, Kayes provided testimony to the International Crimes Tribunal concerning over a hundred cases of disappearances and murders as crimes against humanity, in which he implicated Wing Commander Saifur in the Ilias Ali case.
At the time of the incident, Wing Commander Saifur Rahman – who then held the rank of squadron leader – was serving in Intelligence Wing of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Wing Commander Saifur is notably the son-in-law of the former chief of army staff of Bangladesh Army, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed.
