In a dramatic development in the ongoing investigation into the murder of prominent Bangladeshi student leader and anti-India activist Sharif Osman Hadi, the prime accused, Faisal Karim Masud, has released a video statement denying his role in the crime. He also said that he went directly to Dubai from Bangladesh after his name appeared in the case, dismissing the claims of the interim government that he crossed over to India. Masud said he is currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Vehemently denying any role in the December 12 shooting that led to Hadi’s death, Masud said that he is being falsely implicated in the case, and his family is being harassed. He accused elements linked to Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Chhatra Shibir (commonly referred to as Jamaat-Shibir), of orchestrating the crime.
The undated video marks Masud’s first public response since the attack. Speaking directly to the camera, Masud states, “I did not kill Hadi. My family and I are being implicated. I have come to Dubai to protect myself from the witch hunt.” He describes Hadi as “a product of Jamaat” and suggests that “Jamaati elements” may have been behind the murder.
#BreakingNews: Osman Hadi's killer in Dubai!
Hours after I have exposed the location of Osman Hadi's killer, now Faisal Karim Masud, one of the key accused, in a video message said. he is currently in Dubai and has no involvement in the killing. He claimed that the murder was… pic.twitter.com/MjvgST9rsO
— Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (@salah_shoaib) December 30, 2025
He said that as he already had a multi-entry visa for Dubai for five years, he had no trouble in boarding a flight to Dubai after he was named as an accused. A copy of the visa has appeared on social media, indicating he indeed had the multi-entry visa for Dubai. Reports suggest Masud travelled to Dubai via a commercial flight on Biman Bangladesh Airlines, contradicting earlier police claims of his escape to India.
Masud, a former leader of the now-banned Chhatra League, the student wing of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, acknowledged meeting Hadi, but said the meetings were only on professional grounds. He said that as the owner of an IT firm, he made political donations to Hadi in exchange for promises of government contracts. Saying that apart from donating taka 5 lakh, he also paid for expenses to hold political events, but insists their relationship was strictly business-related and not tied to any criminal activity.
A copy of the Dubai visa of Faisal Karim Masud, the alleged killer of Sharif Osman Hadi. Sources say that Masud traveled to Dubai on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. pic.twitter.com/UthJTnGBFf
— Sahidul Hasan Khokon (@SahidulKhokonbd) December 30, 2025
Responding to claims about money in his bank account, he said that those are his legitimately earned money from his business. Masud said that he pays tax on his every year, and this year he paid taka 9 lakh as tax, and he has documents to prove everything. Notably, bank accounts of Faisal Karim Masud, his company Apple Soft IT Limited, and his family members have been frozen by the Bangladesh government.
The video came just days after on December 28 Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam claimed that Masud and co-accused Alamgir Sheikh had fled Bangladesh by crossing into India’s Meghalaya state via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh, with assistance from local contacts. Indian authorities, including the Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya, have rejected these allegations as “unfounded and misleading,” stating there was no evidence of any border crossing.
Hadi, 32, a key figure in the 2024 July Uprising that toppled the Hasina government and convener of Inqilab Moncho, was shot in the head at point-blank range in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on December 12. He was shot just hours after posting a map of ‘greater Bangladesh’ showing parts of eastern India on Facebook. He succumbed to his injuries on December 18 in Singapore, sparking widespread protests, violence targeting media houses, and heightened anti-India sentiment amid Bangladesh’s political turmoil ahead of national elections.
Bangladeshi authorities have arrested over a dozen individuals linked to the case, including Masud’s wife, parents, brother-in-law, and associates, some of whom have reportedly confessed to aiding his escape or handling weapons. Police have recovered pistols allegedly used in the attack and described the investigation as “nearing completion,” with a charge sheet expected soon.
