A training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed in the Milestone School and College area of Diabari in Uttara, Dhaka. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the crash occurred around noon today, Monday, July 21. Following the incident, a photocard featuring a statement allegedly made by Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of the interim government, began circulating on Facebook. The photocard reads: “After the incident in Gopalganj, the Awami League is carrying out sabotage across the country. I believe the Awami League and international forces are involved in the aircraft crash in Uttara.”

However, a fact-check investigation by FactWatch reveals that the viral photocard is fake. There is no record of such a statement being made by the Press Secretary.

In verifying the authenticity of the claim, no such remarks from Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam related to the Milestone aircraft crash could be found through relevant keyword searches. Moreover, a review of Shafiqul Alam’s verified Facebook account also yielded no such statement.

Additionally, the photocard being shared on Facebook is dated July 19, whereas the aircraft crash in Milestone, Dhaka, occurred today, Monday, July 21.

Therefore, the statement being circulated in the name of the Press Secretary, alleging involvement of the Awami League and international forces in the Uttara Milestone aircraft crash, is baseless. FactWatch identifies the claim as false.

Original News Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/press-secretary-fake-statement-milestone-aircarft-crash/