Discussions are intensifying on social media regarding the identity of one of the would-be assassins of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson and Dhaka-8 prospective independent candidate Sharif Osman Hadi, following the release of a suspect’s photograph by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
On Saturday (December 14, 2025), the DMP published a photograph of a suspected assailant involved in the attack and urged the public to provide any information that could help identify or locate the person.
Since the attack, various claims about the attacker’s identity have circulated online. Digital investigative outlet The Dissent published a report using OSINT tools (open source intelligence) that identified the suspected shooter as an activist of the banned Chhatra League from the capital's Adabor area.
According to The Dissent, the claim was made after a comparative analysis of multiple photographs, including CCTV footage gathered from police, images of the person seen shooting Hadi, images from Hadi’s election campaign, and footage of an individual seen at the Inquilab Cultural Centre on December 9.
Read more: Hadi remains in critical condition, injury to brain stem; ventilator support continues
The outlet reported that the individual appearing in all three incidents closely resembles a person named Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Daud Khan. It said facial similarities were found after analyzing CCTV footage from the Inquilab Cultural Center dated December 9, police-collected CCTV footage from the December 12 attack, photographs published by mainstream media, and more than 50 images posted on Facebook and Instagram accounts under the name Faisal Karim Masud, as well as posts from pro-Awami League pages and individuals.
The Dissent further stated that verification using two facial detection applications showed a match between Faisal Karim’s images and the person visible in the CCTV footage from the Inquilab Cultural Center.
Their investigation also identified Karim as an ex-leader of Chhatra League, who held a post in the organisation's Adabor unit.
A notable detail highlighted was a distinctive wristwatch seen on the shooter’s left hand, which closely matches the same design of wristwatch worn by Faisal Karim Masud in multiple photos found on his Facebook and Instagram profiles.
In November 2024, several mainstream media outlets published reports with photographs of Faisal Karim, stating that he had been arrested by RAB as the prime accused in an armed robbery case involving the looting of Tk 1.7 million from an office in Adabor, Mohammadpur. However, he was later released on bail.
Read more: Rizvi calls gun attack on Hadi a planned conspiracy, seeks fair probe
Separately, Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera’s investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer wrote in a Facebook post that one person involved in the shooting of Osman Hadi had been identified. He too named the individual as Faisal Karim Masud (alias Daud bin Faisal), describing him as a former Chhatra League vice-president of Dhaka North and former president of Adabor Chhatra League.
The post further claimed that Faisal Karim was seated next to Osman Hadi at a meeting on December 9, 2025, and is known as a close associate of Awami League leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the ex-home minister who is now a fugitive in India.
Meanwhile, UNB was able to access a Facebook account operated under the name “Faisal Karim Daud Khan”, in which the person in the profile picture closely resembles the person in the images released by DMP, and identified by The Dissent and Zulkarnain. Older photos in the account indicate his affiliation with Chhatra League and the Awami League. The account includes photos with ex-president Abdul Hamid, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, ex-foreign and education minister Dipu Moni, and other Awami League and Chhatra League leaders.
Additionally, Faisal Karim Daud Khan’s name appears as a member in the full central committee of Chhatra League announced on May 11, 2019. Posts congratulating him on receiving the position were also found on Facebook.
In the 11th national parliamentary election in 2018, Chhatra League formed a constituency-based election management and coordination committee. Faisal Karim was listed as a member of the coordination committee for Dhaka-12 constituency, where the Awami League candidate Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. A post congratulating Faisal included an image of the approved committee members on an AL official pad.
Read more: Now Hadi’s village home in Jhalokathi looted
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have continued operations to confirm the suspect’s identity. Officials said the individual was identified through analysis of CCTV footage, and the DMP has again urged anyone with relevant information to come forward.
The Home Affairs Adviser, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, has announced a reward of Tk 5 million for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot Osman Hadi.
Earlier on Friday, around 2:15 pm, Osman Hadi was shot by assailants while travelling in a rickshaw in front of the water tank in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. Two individuals on a motorcycle drew level with Hadi's rickshaw before one fired at him from close range. The bike then sped away.
Hadi was rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition and later transferred to Evercare Hospital in the capital, where he is currently receiving advanced ICU support.
Read more: Fakhrul warns of ‘targeted killings’ after gun attack on Hadi