Dhaka, Oct 08 (V7N) – Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged the government to take immediate diplomatic steps to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshi photographer and writer Shahidul Alam, who was detained by Israeli forces in international waters.

In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday (October 8), the BNP leader expressed grave concern over Shahidul Alam’s detention and called on the authorities to “act urgently through all diplomatic channels” for his release and safety.

Earlier in the morning, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly seized the Gaza-bound ship ‘Conscience’, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, carrying Shahidul Alam and several international journalists, doctors, and aid workers.

In a pre-recorded video message shared on Facebook, Shahidul Alam said,

“I am Shahidul Alam, a photographer and writer from Bangladesh. If you have watched this video, by now we have been detained at sea. I have been kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces. They are carrying out genocide in Gaza with the active cooperation and support of the United States and other Western powers.”

He also urged his supporters and the international community to “continue the fight for the freedom of Palestine.”

Just a day earlier, Shahidul had posted that the ship was expected to reach the “red zone” — a high-risk area patrolled by the Israeli Navy — by early Wednesday morning.

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