In a country that is progressing on the global stage under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the nation’s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, various individuals both within and outside the country have been actively opposing the ongoing development through a formidable cycle of subversion. This subversive cycle, which opposes the nation and the government, utilizes various forms of propaganda through social media, such as YouTube and Facebook, for continuing vile, derogatory and terrifying attacks against the government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Bangabandhu family, political figures, high-ranking civil and military officials, established businessmen, and other public figures who are working for the betterment of Bangladesh.
Their sole objective is to undermine the current government and bring the opposition party, the BNP-Jamaat alliance, which includes some war criminals’ descendants, disgraced military personnel, expelled Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders, and self-proclaimed journalists with dubious reputations, to power. These individuals, many of whom are engaged in acts of extortion and have sought refuge in the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Canada, and Australia, are actively working to disrupt the peaceful environment in the country, casting doubts on the upcoming national elections on the world stage.
Many of them have transformed their involvement in such wrongdoing into their sole means of livelihood while continuing to engage in activities against the nation. Among these cyber terrorists, one prominent figure is Tasneem Khalil, the Editor-in-Chief of the propaganda website ‘Netra News’ based in Sweden, and his chief accomplice, who are both involved in multiple cases of extortion and are currently residing in London.
Who is this Zulkarnain Sami?
The real name of Sami is Samiul Ahmed Khan. However, this name has changed repeatedly over time. Sometimes his name has been Tanvir Sadat, sometimes Saer Zulkarnain. Again, sometimes he is known as Zulkarnain Saer Khan. In this way, Sami was involved with countless crimes from a very young age.
Sami’s father, Abdul Baset Khan, was a retired army officer. Among Abdul Baset’s four children, Samiul Ahmed Khan was the eldest. Although he was born in 1984, according to school records, his birth date is listed as October 8, 1986. Since childhood, allegations of theft have been brought against him. Sami lost his mother at a young age and, after that, he became involved in theft and various criminal activities. He changed his name to “Tanvir Mohammad Sadat Khan” to avoid the law.
Zulkarnain Sami has faced allegations of theft and other types of criminal acts from his very young age. A drug-addict Sami even attempted to rape his step mother. Following this incident, Sami’s father had to drive him away from their residence.
As his father was in army, Zulkarnain Sami was impersonating as an army officer. He even began criminal activities by wearing military uniform. On April 28, 2001, Zulkarnain Sami was arrested for illegally wearing military uniform. Two days later his father Abdul Baset Khan got him released by providing written bond.
On July 21, 2006, Sami attempted to steal mobile phones from a store at Dhaka’s Elephant Road area. As he was caught red-handed, shop owners handed him over to police. Later a case (Case number 43) was filed under section 140, 170, 171, 419, 435, 467 and 472. Zulkarnain Sami faces few more criminal cases pending with various police stations in Bangladesh while he is flagged by the Hungarian law enforcement agencies as drug-peddler with connections to transnational narco-trafficking cartels.
According to credible sources, Sami maintains business ties with Juan Orlando Hernández, the former President of Honduras, who has been indicted and extradited to the United States on drug-trafficking charges.
A press release from the US Department of Justice corroborated these allegations. Years ago, Sami was introduced to Hernández’s drug trafficking network by an influential member of a Mexican narco-cartel that utilizes Hungary as a gateway for distributing narcotics across Europe. It is also alleged that Sami acted as a conduit for Afghan narcotics supplied by Hezbollah to Hernández.
Due to his notorious record of involvement in crime, when it turned impossible for Zulkarnain Sami in residing in Bangladesh, he fled the country and landed in Hungary. Sitting in Hungary, he was trading in selling citizenship and diplomatic passports of Dominica, Antiqua & Barbuda by establishing connections with a London-based individual named Paul Singh. By using this channel, Sami helped a large number of terrorists from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Colombia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in obtaining citizenship of Dominica, Antiqua & Barbuda.
It may be mentioned here that a large number of fugitive criminals, some of whom even are wanted by Interpol are easily acquiring passports of the Caribbean island nations, including Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, St Lucia etcetera under the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program.
Years ago, Harris Ahmed, then a fugitive on the Most Wanted list of the law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh succeeded in acquiring passport of Antiqua & Barbuda under CBI program using alias and began travelling to many countries and finally began commercial activities in Hungary by forming alliance with Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami.
Although authorities of the Caribbean island nations claim to be granting citizenship and issuing passport after “due diligence”, this particular case clearly proves – any investigation of its CBI applicants are completely bogus.
All passport holders whose information does not specify that they are native-born citizens of Antigua & Barbuda should be considered by compliance officers to be possible foreign criminals, unless cleared through Enhanced Due Diligence investigation, conducted by an experienced, objective agency. Antigua allowed Harris Ahmed to use an alias on his passport, to further skip arrest and dodge legal consequences, while Hungary and few other European countries were in total dark about criminal record of this individual.
Sources confirm that Haris Ahmed has bragged to friends and acquaintances that he and his wife regularly use their CBI passports.
Although Antigua alleges that its check out all CBI applicants through the us embassy in Barbados, this has been denied by the US authorities.
According to media report, Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami has meticulously crafted a façade of legitimacy by posing as an “Undercover Investigative Journalist” for Al Jazeera. Further bolstering his counterfeit credentials, he has also claimed affiliations with the Israeli daily Haaretz and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Utilizing a photograph taken in an Al Jazeera office as his linchpin, Sami has duped numerous individuals in Bangladesh, extracting hundreds of millions of taka under the guise of journalistic integrity. One such victim, Aarav Khan, took to social media to expose Sami’s fraudulent activities, revealing the depths of his deception.
Capitalizing on the recent “visa policy” on Bangladesh, announcement by the US State Department, Sami has added another layer to his elaborate scheme. He purports to have been commissioned by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), claiming to gather intelligence on Bangladeshis who could face US visa restrictions and financial sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act. This audacious claim has not only added a veneer of credibility to his activities but also opened new avenues for extortion and blackmail.
It is further learnt, Sami’s chameleon-like ability to adapt and evolve is evident in his use of multiple aliases, including Zulkarnain Saer Khan and Tanvir Mohammad Sadat Khan. On social media platforms, he brazenly claims affiliations with various international news organizations and the OCCRP. However, a closer examination reveals that Sami lacks any journalistic credentials, a fact corroborated by his criminal history. Before his deportation from Hungary on charges ranging from drug trafficking to running a prostitution ring, he had been arrested in Bangladesh for theft and impersonation.
According to an investigative report, amidst the intricate web of criminal enterprises, Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami has established a company known as ‘Shams Inc’ in the United Kingdom. Speculation is rife that this new venture serves as a smokescreen for a host of illegal activities, including but not limited to, transnational drug trafficking and money laundering. Given the extensive and multifaceted nature of Sami’s criminal history, the establishment of ‘Shams Inc’. raises alarming questions about its true purpose. Could it be a new conduit for Afghan narcotics supplied by Hezbollah, or perhaps a front for laundering the proceeds of his various extortion schemes? The gravity of these possibilities makes ‘Shams Inc’, a focal point for further investigation, as it could potentially serve as the linchpin in Sami’s ever-expanding criminal empire.
Zulkarnain Sami’s extortion racket
In a sinister twist, Zulkarnain Saer Sami has been implicated in an extortion and blackmailing racket operated from Canada and the United States under the guise of ‘Nagorik TV’, a Facebook and YouTube based so-called channel. Bangladesh Police have filed charges against him for committing cybercrimes. Sami, who falsely claimed to be a ‘Researcher’ for Al Jazeera’s ‘i-Unit’, has been disavowed by the Qatar-based network. His criminal activities extend to conniving with other members of the crime cartel, including Tito Rahman and Nazmus Saquib, to create and publish defamatory video content targeting various political figures, civil and military officers, journalists, and esteemed individuals in Bangladesh. This nefarious agenda aims at character assassination, extortion, and blackmailing, further solidifying Sami’s reputation as a dangerous criminal.
In an earlier report, Zulkarnain Saer Sami has been accused of demanding a staggering BDT 50 million from Arav Khan, a fugitive who is also known for killing a police officer. In a telephonic conversation published online, Zulkarnain Saer is heard claiming to be a member of Al Jazeera’s Investigative Team, a reporter for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and ‘Team Member’ of Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Zulkarnain Sami receives American taxpayer’s money
In a startling revelation, Netra News, a platform funded by the US Congress through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has hired Zulkarnain Saer Sami, a known criminal, as its “Researcher-Contractual”. Despite having no journalistic background and a criminal history that includes drug trafficking and theft, Zulkarnain has been given a platform that receives American taxpayer money. This hiring has raised serious ethical questions and calls for an immediate investigation by Congress, as it directly violates resolutions and bills passed by the US legislative body.
Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami has been identified as a key player in a network of anti-Bangladesh elements, which also includes Interpol-wanted terror-funder Shahid Uddin Khan and the cyber-terror and extortion platform ‘Nagorik TV’. This group was caught red-handed disseminating propaganda material published on an obscure website called ‘Sri Lanka Guardian’. The content, aimed at sowing confusion and doubt among the Bangladeshi populace, was circulated and spread by Zulkarnain and his associates with ulterior motives.
Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami, who has sought asylum in the United Kingdom under the false pretense of being a “victim of political vengeance”, has been actively disseminating malicious propaganda against the UK’s Labour Party. Utilizing his social media platforms, he has accused the Labour Party of promoting racist behavior and Islamophobia. This is particularly alarming given Zulkarnain’s deep connections with extremist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah. His activities in the UK not only pose a threat to the political climate but also raise concerns about his involvement in anti-Semitic and anti-Hindu activities.
UK Home Minister Suella Braverman has expressed grave concern over the issue of human trafficking in the United Kingdom, a concern that becomes even more urgent in light of Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami’s illicit activities. Reports suggest that Zulkarnain is involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK via the English Channel, adding another layer of criminality to his already extensive portfolio. This not only exacerbates the human trafficking problem that Minister Braverman is keen to address but also poses a significant security risk to the country. The ‘Stop the Boats‘ campaign, aimed at curbing illegal immigration, becomes particularly concerning when individuals like Zulkarnain exploit these vulnerable routes for their criminal enterprises. Immediate action is warranted to curb these activities and bring individuals like Zulkarnain to justice.
