Latif Siddique arrested in ICT Shapla Square case

Former minister and decorated freedom fighter Abdul Latif Siddique was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) on Wednesday after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) issued an arrest warrant against him in a crimes against humanity case linked to the deadly Shapla Square crackdown on May 5, 2013.

DB officers detained Siddique from a residence in the Gulshan area of the capital, hours after he appeared before a Dhaka court in a separate case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Confirming the arrest, DB Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said the former minister was taken into custody in compliance with the tribunal's warrant. Earlier in the day, Siddique had told reporters at the court premises that he was listed as the 10th accused among 41 defendants in the ICT case and had intended to surrender voluntarily before the tribunal early next week if he was not arrested beforehand. However, law enforcement moved to execute the warrant before his planned appearance.

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The arrest follows Monday's decision by a three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Chairman Nazrul Islam, to take cognisance of the prosecution's formal charges and issue arrest warrants against 41 individuals over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the operation against the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Square. The accused include former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed, several former ministers, senior law enforcement officials, political leaders, and journalists. With Siddique's arrest, nine accused in the high-profile case are now in custody, while authorities said intelligence surveillance and nationwide operations are continuing to apprehend the remaining fugitives and produce them before the tribunal.