Background
Choudhury was born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Choudhury was born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Choudhury followed an unusual route to the Diplomatic Service. In 1985, he attained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Salford. Choudhury worked at Siemens Plessey, before entering the civil service as an engineering strategist with the Royal Air Force.
In 1995, he graduated with an Master of Business Administration from Durham University.
He was formerly the Director of International Institutions at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and a High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Although born in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh, he is a naturalised British citizen. His family is originally from Prabhakarpur, Jagannathpur, Sunamganj, and moved to the United Kingdom when he was young.
Choudhury was promoted through the Ministry of Defence, until 2000, when he was recruited by the Cabinet Office, before being headhunted for the position of High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
He was succeeded in 2008 by Stephen Evans. When he was appointed as High Commissioner to Bangladesh in 2004, he became one of the first two British ambassadors from ethnic minority backgrounds to be appointed (the other being Alp Mehmet, who was appointed Ambassador to Iceland).
Grenade attack On 21 May 2004, Choudhury was targeted in a failed grenade attack, in which he was wounded and two bystanders were killed. The attempted assassination came as he was leaving the Dargah-e-Shah Jalal mosque in Sylhet Division, his home province, following Jumu"ah (Friday prayers).
In December 2008, three attackers were sentenced to death and two others to life in prison for the attack.