Petrol bombs thrown at Shakib Al Hasan's Magura home hours after Hasina presser
The house of former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan in the Keshab Mor area of Magura town was attacked on Wednesday evening at around 8:45 pm local time when unidentified individuals allegedly hurled bricks, stones and petrol bombs at the property. The incident occurred hours after Shakib took part in a media interaction addressed virtually by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from New Delhi, an event organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia.
Hasina used the interaction to defend her government's handling of the July-August 2024 unrest and described the student-led uprising that led to her ouster as a "meticulously designed" regime-change operation. Ahead of the media briefing, leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) publicly criticised the event and warned media organisations against carrying or broadcasting Hasina's remarks, according to reports. Hasina also called for the ban on her party to be lifted and reiterated her intention to return to Bangladesh later this year despite facing multiple legal challenges.
Local reports said petrol bombs were allegedly hurled at the house and that the sound of crackers was heard outside the property. Magura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed that several windowpanes of the house were shattered and said: "Several miscreants threw brick chips at the house and vandalised windows. They also tried to set the house on fire," the officer told The Daily Star. No one was injured, and police personnel were deployed to the scene soon after receiving information.
Awami League leaders and supporters alleged the attack was linked to Shakib's participation in the Hasina event. The Bangladesh Awami League posted on social media: "A grisly petrol bomb attack took place at the residence of Bangladesh’s celebrated cricket icon Sakib Al hasan, hours after the world famous star cricketer appeared at a pic.twitter.com/Uqmwwih3XG— Bangladesh Awami League (@albd1971) August 5, 2026".
Shakib served as an Awami League Member of Parliament for the Magura-1 constituency after the 2024 general election, when he was elected as an Awami League candidate; opposition parties and critics described that poll as lacking genuine competition. The Awami League has been banned from political activities in Bangladesh following the political upheaval that saw former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lose power in August 2024.
Since the fall of the Hasina government, Shakib has not returned to Bangladesh and multiple legal cases were filed against him after the political transition, including a murder case in which he was named among several accused. The former captain has said he wants to return home and face the legal process but only if he is assured of his personal safety and protection from harassment; he has been living with his family in the United States and has continued to play franchise cricket overseas.
Bangladeshi authorities have not established any motive for the attack, and police have yet to identify those responsible. Earlier this year the Bangladesh Cricket Board left the door open for Shakib's return to the national team.