'I can't breathe any more': Inside the night a mob burned a newspaper

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 7 min read 100% complete February 26, 2026 at 01:54 AM

AI Summary

long article 7 min

On December 18th in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a mob attacked and set fire to The Daily Star newspaper building, trapping 28 journalists and staff inside. The attack followed the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a youth leader, and accusations that the newspaper downplayed the assassination and acted as "Indian agents." Investigative reporter Zyma Islam was finishing a story on Hadi's death when the mob arrived, smashing windows and setting the building ablaze. The journalists were trapped on the roof for four hours before being rescued. The Daily Star, Bangladesh's largest English-language newspaper, and its sister paper Prothom Alo, had faced mounting threats and protests prior to the attack.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Singapore 30% India ×240% Sheikh Hasina 50% Prothom Alo 50% Bangladesh ×260% Sharif Osman Hadi ×370% Dhaka ×370% The Daily Star ×480% Zyma Islam ×590%

Keywords

the daily star 90% newspaper attack 90% journalists trapped 80% mob violence 80% press freedom 70% anti-india rhetoric 60% political climate 60% investigative reporter 50% social media 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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the daily star newspaper attack journalists trapped mob violence press freedom anti-india rhetoric political climate investigative reporter social media

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