Solved case · 2004
The short answer
A grenade attack at the Shah Jalal Shrine in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on 21 May 2004 injured British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury and killed bystanders, including a police officer. The attack was carried out by Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami; three men, including group leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, were later convicted and executed.
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Suggest coverage for 2004 Shah Jalal BombingThe Shah Jalal Shrine is a roughly 700-year-old Sufi religious site in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Anwar Choudhury, then the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, is a Bangladeshi-born British citizen whose ancestral home was Sylhet. On 21 May 2004 he visited the shrine, offered prayers, and greeted members of the public who had gathered to see him. Notably, the shrine had already been the target of a bombing earlier that year, in January 2004, in which five people were killed.
While Choudhury was speaking with people at the shrine, a grenade was thrown at him. It struck him in the stomach but did not detonate on impact; instead it bounced off and rolled to the feet of the Deputy Commissioner, where it exploded. The blast killed three people, including a police officer, and injured Choudhury.
The attack was attributed to Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, a militant group. Investigators traced the components of the grenades used to Afghanistan, and police stated the motive was to avenge the deaths of Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere attributed to actions by the United States and Britain. In 2008, three men were sentenced to death for the bombing: Mufti Abdul Hannan, the leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh, along with Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain (alias Ripon). The British High Commission welcomed the conclusion of the trial but stated its opposition to the death penalty. Hannan and his two co-defendants were hanged on 13 April 2017.
Following the attack, then British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw issued a statement expressing shock and extending sympathy to victims and their families, while noting that details of what had happened and the nature of injuries were still unclear. He also acknowledged support being received from Bangladeshi authorities. Bangladesh's then Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, condemned the attack and offered her sympathies to those affected.
The Shah Jalal Shrine in Sylhet was bombed, resulting in the deaths of five people.
British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury was injured in a grenade attack at the Shah Jalal Shrine; a bystander/police officer and others were killed.
Three men, including Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, were sentenced to death for the attack.
Mufti Abdul Hannan, Sharif Shahedul Alam Bipul, and Delwar Hossain (alias Ripon) were hanged for their roles in the bombing.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh; injured in the grenade attack[3]
Also known as Ripon; sentenced to death in 2008 and executed in 2017 for involvement in the bombing[3]
Leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh; sentenced to death in 2008 and executed in 2017 for organizing the bombing[3]
Sentenced to death in 2008 and executed in 2017 for involvement in the bombing[3]
From the record
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