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Windows were smashed and petrol bombs hurled at former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan’s residence after he joined ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first public media interaction since her 2024 removal from power, in which she vowed to return in December.

Police said a group of people attacked Shakib’s ancestral home in Magura town, about 170 km (105 miles) southwest of the capital Dhaka on Wednesday, causing a fire on the upper floor of the residence. The property was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.

The attack came hours after Shakib, a former Awami League lawmaker, joined a virtual event organised by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia in New Delhi. During the audio address, Hasina reiterated that she would return to Bangladesh, where she has been sentenced to death.

Shakib, who was elected to parliament as an Awami League candidate in January 2024, has remained outside Bangladesh since the student-led uprising that toppled Hasinas government. He faces multiple investigations, including over allegations of murder, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.