University of Toronto student Tahmid Khan remains in custody in Bangladesh
Published: August 15, 2016
University of Toronto student Tahmid Khan remains in custody in Bangladesh.
Media reports say the undergrad will be held for up to six more days.
He is one of two men held by authorities there following last month鈥檚 hostage taking at a restaurant in Dhaka.
The student, who is set to enter his fourth year of studies at U of T, was in Dhaka visiting family and was in the restaurant on July 1 during the terrorist attack that left 20 dead.
In the days following the incident, and his family and friends appealed for help amid conflicting reports about his whereabouts. also has appealed for news on the condition and treatment of the two men.
After weeks of Khan鈥檚 family pressing for information, authorities announced that a court had granted police eight days to question Khan and the other man who was detained, British national Hasnat Karim. On August 13, 2016, media reported the courts had granted police more time for questioning.
University of Toronto President Meric Gertler last month wrote expressing concern for the student鈥檚 welfare and confirming that he is a student in good standing who is an active member of the university community.
The university is continuing to watch the case.
鈥淲e鈥檙e concerned about the well-being of Tahmid,鈥 U of T spokesperson Althea Blackburn-Evans has said.
鈥淲e have students coming to us from all over the world so when something like this happens our first thought is for the well-being of the student and wanting to ensure the student is treated fairly.鈥
Khan (pictured below in a Facebook profile photo from 2015) is a permanent resident in Canada and not a Canadian citizen.
Officials have said that limits the role Global Affairs Canada can play.
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