A fire broke out at the Chattogram home of former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel early today after unidentified assailants allegedly hurled petrol bomb-like objects at the property.

Sources at Panchlaish Police Station said a group of 10 to 12 people threw the objects at the vacant house in the port city’s Chashma Hill area around 1:00am, causing the fire.

Local residents rushed to the scene after noticing the flames, forcing the attackers to flee. They later brought the blaze under control, police added.

Confirming the incident, Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasan Md Shawkat Ali told The Daily Star that police rushed to the spot after being informed, but the perpetrators had already fled.

He said the incident is under investigation and legal action will be taken.

The attack came two days after Nowfel attended a press conference addressed by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5. The event was hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia.

Nowfel, the son of late former Chattogram City Corporation mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, served as education minister under the Awami League government.

Local sources said today’s incident was the fourth attack on the Chashma Hill residence in the past two years. The house was first targeted on August 3, 2024, during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and was vandalised and looted two days later. It was attacked again in December last year, when it was vandalised and set on fire, before being targeted once more early today.