Former President Ziaur Rahman was shot by retired Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman, according to statements made by former army officer Mozaffar Hossain.

Hossain also disclosed that then-Army Chief Hussain Muhammad Ershad traveled to Chittagong by helicopter shortly before the assassination.

The details were revealed by International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha on Sunday afternoon (September 13) following an interrogation session of Mozaffar Hossain at the tribunal’s investigation agency.

"Mozaffar Hossain was questioned at the tribunal's investigation agency today from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM," Zoha stated, adding that the interrogation will resume on Monday (September 14).

When asked about the findings from the questioning, Prosecutor Zoha confirmed that Mozaffar stated retired Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman was the one who shot Ziaur Rahman.

He further noted that Ziaur Rahman was assassinated on May 30, 1981, and that prior to the incident, then-Army Chief Ershad flew to Chittagong by helicopter on May 28 of that same year.

Mozaffar Arrested After 45 Years
President Ziaur Rahman was killed by a group of renegade military officers in the early hours of May 30, 1981, at the Chittagong Circuit House.

Nearly 45 years after the assassination, Mozaffar Hossain was arrested from the capital's Banani area on July 15.

Mozaffar is currently detained in connection with a separate case involving crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising.

The International Crimes Tribunal had previously granted a two-day remand for his interrogation in that case on July 23.

Prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha confirmed that authorities are actively questioning him regarding both the Ziaur Rahman assassination and the crimes against humanity linked to the July uprising.