Bangladesh has urged the United States to ensure the safety and security of Bangladeshi citizens and students staying there, following the killing of two Bangladeshi students.
‘The embassy is in regular contact with the US Department of State and has requested that the safety of Bangladeshi students and Bangladeshis living in the United States be ensured,’ the Bangladesh embassy in Washington said on Sunday.
The embassy is also maintaining communication with mainstream media outlets in the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also in close contact with relevant US agencies regarding the matter.
The government has expressed deep condolences over the incident and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring justice through close cooperation with all concerned authorities.
Immediately after receiving reports that two Bangladeshi students — Zamil Ahmed Limon and Nahida Sultana Bristy, both enrolled at the University of South Florida — had gone missing, the Bangladesh embassy in Washington, DC, and the Bangladesh consulate general in Miami established continuous contact with US authorities, university officials and investigative agencies.
Due to current constraints in transporting the body from Tampa, Florida via Dubai, alternative arrangements are being actively explored, the MoFA said.
At the same time, the embassy is maintaining regular contact with the US authorities to gather further information regarding Nahida Sultana Bristy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, along with the Bangladesh embassy in Washington, DC, and the consulate general in Miami, remains in constant communication with the bereaved families.
Earlier, state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said that Bangladesh wants the United States to investigate the brutal killings of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is facing two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, students at USF, according to the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office.
He made an initial court appearance on Saturday in Tampa, where he was ordered to be held without bond. A hearing is set for April 28, reports AP.
Abugharbieh, a native-born U.S. citizen, was initially taken into custody on Friday at his family’s home on preliminary charges that include unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery.
Online court records do not list an attorney for him. Messages were sent via email and phone to the public defender’s office in Hillsborough County.
