Who Is Faisal Karim Masud? Main Suspect In Sharif Osman Hadi’s Killing Goes In Hiding As Bangladesh Unrest Erupts

Bangladesh is a mess right now, and all eyes are on one man identified as Faisal Karim Masud. Police say he’s the main suspect in the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, and they’ve put out a nationwide alert for him. He’s banned from leaving the country, too.

On Sunday, December 21, top brass from the police, Dhaka’s Detective Police, Rapid Action Battalion, and Border Guard Bangladesh all met up and insisted they’re doing everything they can to catch Masud.

But here’s the thing: they don’t actually know where he is. “We don’t have specific info on Faisal’s last location,” said Additional Inspector General Khandaker Rafiqul Islam. He also said there’s nothing solid to suggest Masud’s left the country.

Who is Faisal Karim Masud? 

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson for Inqilab Moncho, was shot on December 12. He died six days later in a Singapore hospital. Since then, investigators have zeroed in on Masud.

One Bangladeshi journalist told The Telegraph that “Faisal joined Hadi’s campaign with the intention of killing him.”

Masud’s background paints a complicated picture. He used to be a leader in the Chhatra League, the student wing of the now-banned Awami League, the party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

His LinkedIn page claims he owns three companies, Apple Soft IT, YCU Technology, and Enlist Work. He says he finished a computer science degree in Dhaka back in 2013 and later got an MBA.

Where is Faisal Karim Masud? 

But there’s more. According to Prothom Alo, Masud was seen working with Awami League activists to crush protests during July’s mass uprising. Police records show he was previously arrested after a 1.7 million taka armed robbery at a Dhaka school but he got out, which has left a lot of people furious.

Now, about Hadi’s murder. Cops say Masud pulled the trigger on Hadi while he was campaigning in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. For context, Hadi was a major player in Bangladesh’s 2024 student uprising. He spoke for Inquilab Mancha, Platform for Revolution and planned to run for Parliament in Dhaka-8 in the February 2026 elections.

He was also a vocal critic of India; ousted PM Sheikh Hasina fled there after last year’s uprising.

CCTV footage shows how it happened, a motorcycle pulled up beside Hadi’s electric rickshaw on December 12, and two men shot him in the head. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, then flown to Singapore for treatment, but doctors couldn’t save him.

Chilling details emerge amid Bangladesh unrest

The night before the shooting, Masud apparently told his girlfriend that something big was about to go down, something that would “shake entire Bangladesh.” The Daily Juganto newspaper quoted him: “Something will happen tomorrow, that the whole country will tremble.”

So where’s Masud now? That’s the big question. Bangladesh’s security forces are still searching, but as of now, he’s vanished.

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