Govt to sign extradition treaty with SA to bring back Tajuddin

 The government has initiated a process for an extradition agreement with South Africa to bring back Maulana Mohammad Tajuddin, one of the key accused in the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases, reports BSS.

"We have already taken steps to sign an extradition treaty with South Africa to bring back Maulana Tajuddin," State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan told the news agency on Thursday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has already forwarded letters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to this end, he said.

A meeting will soon be convened to prepare a set of terms and conditions to ink the agreement, he added.

Earlier on August 19 in 2014, the Interpol informed Bangladesh Police that Maulana Tajuddin is now staying in South Africa.

The Interpol also issued red alert against Maulana Tajuddin as the most wanted criminal. Another key accused in the cases, BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, now living in London, was also wanted by the International Police Organisation.

Maulana Tajuddin's brother detained former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu was also an accused in the August 21 grenade attack cases.

With Tajuuddin, a leader of the banned Islamist outfit Harkatul Jihad-al-Islami (Huji, a total of 19 charge-sheeted accused out of 52 in the cases went into hiding soon after investigation into the matter was initiated.