Interim leader Muhammad Yunus takes the helm in Bangladesh, to seek peace and prepare elections

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of office as head of Bangladesh’s interim government Thursday after protests forced out former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this week.

The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India after weeks of student protests over job quotas grew into an uprising against her increasingly autocratic 15-year rule.

The figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief adviser, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in the presence of diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka. No representatives of Hasina's party were present.

The 16 other members of the interim Cabinet were drawn mainly from civil society and include two of the student protest leaders. The Cabinet members were chosen in discussions this week among student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.

The protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favored people with connections to Hasina’s party. But she resigned and fled to India on Monday after the protests coalesced into a movement against her government and more than 300 people including students and police officers were killed in the spiraling violence.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his best wishes to Yunus in a statement on social media platform X, and alluded to reports that Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh had been targeted during the violence.

“We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities,” Modi said. “India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development.”

Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, was in Paris for the Olympics when he was chosen for the interim role. He called for calm and an end to partisan violence before he returned home earlier Thursday.

In his first comments after his arrival, he told a news briefing that his priority would be to restore order. “Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said, flanked by student leaders. “It has immense possibility.”

Yunus has been a longtime opponent of Hasina, who had called him a “bloodsucker” allegedly for using force to extract loan repayments from rural poor, mainly women. Yunus has denied the allegations.

On Wednesday, a tribunal in Dhaka acquitted Yunus in a labor law violation case involving a telecommunication company he founded, in which he was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail. He had been released on bail in the case.

The president had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for the interim administration.

The quick move to select Yunus came when Hasina’s resignation created a vacuum and left the future unclear for Bangladesh, which has a history of military rule and myriad crises.

Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who acts as an adviser to his mother, has vowed that his family and the Awami League party would remain engaged in Bangladesh’s politics despite what he said have been attacks on the Awami League party over the past week. Many observers see Joy as Hasina’s successor in a dynastic political culture that dominates the South Asian nation’s politics.

“If we want to build a new Bangladesh, it is not possible without the Awami League,” he said. “The Awami League is the oldest, democratic, and largest party in Bangladesh."

Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January, but the vote was boycotted by her main opponents, thousands of opposition members were jailed beforehand, and the U.S. and U.K. denounced the result as not credible. Hasina's critics say her administration increasingly was marked by human rights abuses and corruption.

The chaos on Bangladesh’s streets continued after her resignation on Monday. Dozens of police officers were killed, prompting police to stop working across the country. They threatened not to return unless their safety is ensured.

Overnight into Thursday, residents across Dhaka carried sticks, iron rods and sharp weapons to guard their neighborhoods amid reports of robberies. Communities used loudspeakers in mosques to alert people that robberies were occurring, and police remained off duty. The military shared hotline numbers for people seeking help.

Many have feared Hasina’s departure could trigger even more instability in the nation of some 170 million people, already dealing with high unemployment, corruption and a complex strategic relationship with India, China and the United States.

China and the United States have both welcomed the new government.

“We think the interim government will play a vital role in establishing long-term peace and political stability in Bangladesh,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. He also reiterated that the government's decisions "should respect democratic principles, rule of law, and the will of the Bangladeshi people.”

China said it stood ready to work with Bangladesh to promote bilateral cooperation and advance their strategic partnership. "We respect Bangladesh’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and the development path independently chosen by the Bangladeshi people," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

A student volunteer controls traffic, in the absence of traffic policemen on a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

Students clean a wall that was vandalised with graffiti in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

Military personnel stand guard on a street as members of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) walk to take part in a rally in front of the party's headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

People read newspapers pasted on a wall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

A girl participates in a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to victims of recent countrywide violence, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

People participate in a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to victims of recent countrywide violence, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

A small group of activists of right-wing Hindu group "Shurveer Jammu Sangathan" reacting to reports of attacks on Hindu temples and houses of Hindus in Bangladesh, shout slogans during a protest in Jammu, India, Thursday, Aug.8, 2024. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus receives a bouquet after his arrival at the airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahadul Karim Khan)

Bangladesh's figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, right, as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Members of the interim Cabinet, drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders, take oath of office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Bangladesh's figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to members of the interim Cabinet, drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Bangladesh's figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, right, as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A crowd gathers in front of the President's official residence during the oath taking ceremony of the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Army soldiers keep guard in front of the President's official residence during the oath taking ceremony of the interim government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus signs a document after taking the oath of office as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Bangladesh's figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, right, as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus speaks to the media after his arrival at the airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahadul Karim Khan)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus speaks to the media at the airport as he arrives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus speaks to the media at the airport as he arrives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus stands with his luggage at the check-in desk at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus walks with his luggage at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus waves to the media at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus checks in his luggage at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gestures while speaking to the media upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus waves goodbye to the media at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus walks to the check-in desk at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus smiles upon his arrival at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

ROME (AP) — The woman whose company was linked to thousands of pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria in an attack on Hezbollah this week has received unspecified “threats” in the days since and has been advised by the Hungarian secret services “not to talk to media,” her mother told The Associated Press on Friday.

Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono said by phone from Sicily that her daughter, Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, “is currently in a safe place protected by the Hungarian secret services” after her Budapest-based company was linked to the devices used in the simultaneous pager attack on Tuesday.

Hungary's Special Service for National Security disputed the claim, though, saying the younger Bársony-Arcidiacono doesn't qualify for such protection but noting that she has been interviewed “several times” since an investigation was launched Wednesday.

“The results of the investigation so far have made it clear that the so-called pagers have never been on Hungarian territory, and that no Hungarian company or Hungarian expert was involved in their manufacture or modification!” the agency told the AP in an email.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono hasn't appeared publicly since attacks Tuesday and Wednesday targeted pagers and then walkie-talkies in Lebanon, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 3,000, including civilians. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono is listed as the CEO of Budapest-based BAC Consulting, which the Taiwanese trademark holder of the pagers said was responsible for the manufacture of the devices.

Her mother, though, told the AP that her daughter was “not involved in any way” in the deadly plot to turn the pagers into explosive devices, and that “she was just a broker.”

"The items did not pass through Budapest. ... They were not produced in Hungary,” she said, echoing a Hungarian government claim from earlier in the week.

Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono didn't immediately respond to follow-up inquiries about the discrepancy over whether her daughter was under the protection of the Hungarian government.

A Taiwanese firm, Gold Apollo, said it had authorized BAC Consulting to use its name on the pagers that blew up, but that Hungarian company was responsible for their manufacturing and design.

BAC Consulting shares the ground floor of a modest building in Budapest with numerous other enterprises, but has no physical offices and uses the property in Hungary's capital — like the other companies based there — only as an official address, according to a woman who emerged from the building earlier this week and refused to be named.

The company's website said it specialized in “environment, development, and international affairs.” The corporate registry listed 118 official functions including sugar and oil production, retail jewelry sales and natural gas extraction.

The company brought in $725,000 in revenue in 2022 and $593,000 in 2023, according to the company registry. Last year, the company spent nearly $324,000, or around 55% of its revenue, on “equipment.”

The company's website has been offline since Wednesday.

Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono said her daughter was born in Sicily and studied at the University of Catania before pursuing a Ph.D. in London. She worked in Paris and Vienna before moving to Budapest in October 2016 to care for her grandmother.

In May 2022, she incorporated BAC Consulting.

On social media, the younger Bársony-Arcidiacono describes herself as a strategic adviser and business developer who has worked for major international organizations as well as for venture capital firms. Her company's website said she has a doctorate in physics.

The 49-year-old received the degree from University College London, where she was enrolled in the early to mid-2000s, according to her LinkedIn page. There, she worked with Ákos Kövér, a Hungarian physicist and now-retired professor, who confirmed her enrollment.

Kövér said in an email to the AP: “At the time, we also published some joint articles. I am not aware of her other activities."

She interned at the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2008 and 2009, as confirmed by the agency, and once co-authored a paper for a UNESCO conference discussing the management of underground water.

She speaks English, French, Italian and Hungarian, according to her social media, where she has occasionally made comments criticizing Ukraine or in support of children in Gaza.

Spike reported from Budapest and El Deeb reported from Beirut.

People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several men who were wounded by exploded handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bassam Masri)

A police officer inspects a car in which a hand-held pager exploded, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

This photo shows a house where a Hungarian company that allegedly manufactured pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria, is headquartered in Budapest Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)