Retired Military Officer Arrested for Former President Ziaur Rahman's Murder

Dhaka. Bangladesh police on Thursday arrested a retired military officer accused of involvement in the murder of former President Ziaur Rahman.

The police have succeeded in apprehending the accused in the murder of former President Rahman, which occurred more than 40 years ago, after a long search.

Rahman, a war hero who became President of Bangladesh, was assassinated in 1981 during a military coup. Eighteen military officers alleged to be involved in his murder were convicted of rebellion. Thirteen of them have already been executed by hanging.

One of the accused in the murder, Mohammad Muzaffar Hossain, had fled immediately after Rahman's death. Police had announced a reward of two thousand US dollars for information leading to Hossain's arrest.

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, head of the police's intelligence branch, told AFP, 'Mohammad Muzaffar Hossain had been absconding since 1981 after the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman; we have arrested him today.' According to Islam, Hossain has confirmed his role in the murder during preliminary investigations.

Police arrested the suspect Hossain shortly after his arrival in Dhaka. Head Islam said, 'Hossain had immediately left Bangladesh and fled abroad after the coup attempt, and he remained abroad for a long time.'

The son of the late President Rahman, Tarique Rahman, is currently the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Ziaur Rahman became president in 1977 after the assassination of Bangladesh's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During his four-year presidency, there were dozens of coup attempts.

The circumstances of Rahman's murder are still considered mysterious. He was assassinated during a visit to Chittagong to resolve a crisis within his newly formed political party at the time.