A former acting Ambassador of Bangladesh to Russia has been arrested in the UK on charges of assault and issuing threats of rape. Md Faisal Ahmed, who was Bangladesh’s Charge d’Affaires in Moscow till a couple of months ago, has been arrested by West Midlands Police in Birmingham after complaints were filed against him.
He was taken into custody on 16 December in the Solihull area of Birmingham and then released on bail.
As per reports, in May this year, Faisal Ahmed was placed on “stand release” at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow over internal administrative issues and allegations of inappropriate behaviour with colleagues.
Faisal Ahmed was recalled after he posted on Facebook criticising the interim government’s decision to appoint Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United States, Asad Alam Siam, as the new Foreign Secretary. Along with that, a woman has also made allegations of sexual harassment against Faisal Ahmed on social media.
As a result, he was removed from the post and was ordered to return to Dhaka as soon as possible. However, instead of returning to Bangladesh, he went to the United Kingdom using his Diplomatic passport, where his wife has been residing at a rented house in Birmingham. He started living there with his wife. It is believed that he sought political asylum in the UK.
Around 3 weeks ago, a window of the house broke, and Faisal Ahmed was asked to arrange for the repair at his cost. However, the repairer suggested that replacing the entire window would be more reasonable than just fixing the glass. After that, a proposal was made to split the cost equally between the tenant and the house owner, but Faisal didn’t agree to it.
This led to an argument, and angered over the issue, Faisal sent several harsh and threatening messages to the female homeowner. The messages allegedly talked about the use of gun and sexual assault. As the matter escalated, a complaint was registered with the police.
The Bangladesh High Commission in London has confirmed the matter, saying that they are aware of the arrest of former diplomat Faisal Ahmed.
