DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Five ex-army officers were hanged early Thursday for their roles in the 1975 slaying of Bangladeshi President Sheik Mujibur Rahman in a coup, officials said.
TV stations ATN Bangla and Desh TV said the executions took place at 12:01 a.m. local time Thursday in the Dhaka Central Jail after the Supreme Court had rejected their appeals and they met with family members for the last time, the Press Trust of India reported.
The five executed were Syed Faruq Rahman, Sultan Shariar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, A.K.M. Mohiuddin and Bazlul Huda.
Security around the jail was heightened for the executions.
Mujibur was instrumental in the creation of an independent Bangladesh and served as its first president and second prime minister. He was again serving as president when he was killed along with most members of his family and staff in an August 1975 revolt by young army officers. He was 55.
