DHAKA, Oct 29, 2023 (BSS) - Police today arrested a man who claimed to be an
adviser of US President Joe Biden as he was visibly departing Bangladesh a
day after his suspicious presence at BNP central office and assured the
opposition of Biden administration's support for regime change in Bangladesh.

"Immigration Police have arrested him as he reached the airport to leave the
country," Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) joint commissioner Biplob Kumar
Sarkar said identifying him as Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy.

Police said he was brought to DMP's detective branch for initial
interrogation and subsequent legal actions from Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport.

Arefy was seen talking to newsmen sitting beside BNP leader Ishraque Hossain
at the party's Nayapaltan central office late yesterday at a press briefing.

The man was heard saying that he was in constant touch with Biden being a
"member of the national democratic committee" and assured the opposition of
US President's support to ensure regime change in Bangladesh.

"I am a member of the national democratic committee . . . we have a hot
connection . . . Joe Biden and I exchange text message 10 to 15 times a day,"
he was heard saying in English when some junior party leaders were also
present.

He claimed his close regular contacts with the US State Department and
embassy officials in Dhaka and that all key players within the US government
back the opposition's campaign as well to overthrow the government.

The US embassy in Dhaka earlier today disowned Arefy saying "this gentleman
does not speak for the US government and is a private individual" while BNP
senior leadership visibly distanced them from Arefy.

"He is a phony," foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said as asked for
comments on Arefy after the US embassy issued its comments.

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, meanwhile, called Arefy's pretention as
an act of "BNP's fraudulence" and added "according to our information he is
an Israeli agent".