Body of Shahed, Killed in Riyadh Airport Attack, Arrives in Bangladesh

The body of Bangladeshi expatriate Md Shahed Ahmed, killed in an attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has arrived in Bangladesh.

The body was brought to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a US-Bangla Airlines flight at 8:35 am on Friday (23 October).

According to the Bangladesh embassy, Shahed's body was sent from King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the US-Bangla Airlines BS-362 flight to Dhaka on Thursday night. It reached Dhaka on Friday morning.

Thirty-six-year-old Shahed Ahmed, a resident of Madla village in Shahjahanpur upazila of Bogura, worked for the Saudi Arabia-based Sa'd Al-Eisa Contracting Company.

He had returned to his workplace on 9 October after spending a month of leave with his family. The next day, 10 October, he was killed in the attack while waiting in transit at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.

The embassy said his employer has deposited about 27,395 Saudi riyals (about 900,000 taka) as his unpaid salary, allowances and other employment benefits to the Bangladesh embassy.

The money will be handed over to his family through the Wage Earners' Welfare Board.

Notably, the airport attack in Saudi Arabia has caused widespread concern among expatriates from Bangladesh and other countries. Flights from Dhaka to Dammam and Riyadh remain suspended.

Shahed's death has cast a shadow of grief over his village home. His relatives are struggling to accept such a tragic end within two days of returning to work after a month's leave.

The incident has renewed discussion about the safety of Bangladeshis working in the Middle East. Concerned parties say expatriates have been advised to remain cautious until the situation normalizes.

Sources said the process of handing over the body to the family is underway after its arrival in Dhaka.