On July 11, in the Professor Para area of Chandpur town, a man named Md. Billah Hossain attacked the khatib of a local mosque with a sharp weapon. Following the incident, a post circulated on social media claiming that “the 75-year-old Imam Nurul Amin Madani, khatib of Baitul Amin Jame Mosque in Mollar Bari, Professor Para, Chandpur, was attacked with a machete by BNP terrorists during his Friday sermon because some people did not like his preaching.”

In connection with the same incident, another claim spread online alleging that the attacker was a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami or its student wing, Shibir.

Fact-check

Rumor Scanner’s investigation found that the attacker of the mosque’s khatib in Chandpur, Maulana Nurur Rahman, was not affiliated with BNP or Jamaat-Shibir. The accused, Md. Billah Hossain, is a vegetable vendor.

According to a report published on July 12 on the Prothom Alo website titled “Case filed over the stabbing of mosque khatib in Chandpur; accused arrested,” it was learned that on July 11, a man named Md. Billah Hossain (50) attacked Maulana A.N.M. Nurur Rahman, khatib of Mollar Bari Jame Mosque in Professor Para, Chandpur, with a machete because he disliked the Friday sermon. Rahman was seriously injured in the attack. The next day, on July 12, Rahman’s son filed a case, and the accused was arrested.

A report from BanglaNews24 stated that the accused, Md. Billah Hossain, is a roaming vegetable trader.

Other news outlets, including bdnews24.com, The Daily Ittefaq, and Dhaka Mail, also reported that Billah Hossain works as a vegetable or raw produce vendor.

To verify the attacker’s political identity, Rumor Scanner conducted further investigation through media and reliable sources but found no evidence of any political affiliation of Billah Hossain.

For further verification, the Rumor Scanner team contacted several local journalists in Chandpur.

Tahla Jubair, Chandpur correspondent for Ekattor TV, stated that the accused, Billah Hossain, was not involved with any political party but was known to be an extremist individual.

Al Imran Shovon, Chandpur correspondent for Channel 24, confirmed that Billah Hossain had no political affiliation.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the accused, Md. Billah Hossain, is a vegetable or raw produce vendor, and the claim that he was affiliated with any political party in connection with the attack on the Chandpur Mosque khatib is false.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/chandpur-khatib-attacker-not-bnp-jamaat-shibir-leader/170185