A Dhaka court has placed Abu Bokor Siddique on a seven-day remand over a Facebook comment about a “sniper” on a post featuring a bus used by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during his visit to Rajshahi.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farjana Haque passed the order on Sunday in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Ramna Police Station.

Shamsuddoha Sumon, additional public prosecutor at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court, confirmed the matter.

According to the case documents, a photograph of the bus was posted in the Facebook group ‘The Beauty of Rajshahi’ on October 21, with a caption highlighting the use of a RUET bus in Rajshahi.

Commenting on the post, a Facebook account named ‘MD Abu Bokor Siddique’ wrote: “Alas, there was a great opportunity; only a sniper was missing.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a press release on Thursday that Special Response Battalion-5 (SRB-5) had apprehended the accused on Wednesday.

The comment drew attention on social media after it came to light.

Tarique arrived at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi aboard a military aircraft around 3pm on Wednesday. He travelled to the city in a RUET bus, which he used to attend a rally at the historic Madrasah Ground and visit Dharmasabha Temple ahead of Durga Puja. He returned to the airport in the same vehicle.

Law enforcers subsequently identified the commenter with the help of information technology. Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Manik Hossain of the DB Cyber and Special Crime (North) Division filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Ramna Police Station in the capital.

The accused was sent to jail on October 23. On the same day, the investigating officer, Ramna Police Station SI Md Yasin Paik, sought a seven-day remand.

The remand application said investigators needed to determine whether an organised terrorist group, a sniper or a weapons-supply network was involved in the incident, and identify those allegedly conspiring to assassinate the head of government.

It also called for an investigation into possible links between the accused and a mastermind or banned organisation.

The application further cited the need to recover digital evidence and establish whether anyone else was involved in efforts to jeopardise the country's public security and sovereignty.

After the hearing, the magistrate granted the application and ordered a seven-day remand.