36 Hizb-ut Tahrir men held

Staff Reporter :

At least 36 members of the outlawed Hizb ut-Tahrir group have been arrested in the country since Friday.

They include Saiful Islam, a key organiser of the group, which was banned in 2009 for an anti-state campaign.

Police have launched a nationwide search for the members of the group who took part in the banned rally outside the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka.

“We are analysing the video footage of the rally. We have identified many members of HT, and they will be arrested for joining a political program of a banned organisation,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam said.

Police have filed several cases under anti-terrorism laws against the members of the group.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, banned in Bangladesh since October 2009 for posing a threat to national security, has frequently organised protests and marches in defiance of a government ban on public gatherings.

Founded in 1953, it is an international political group with a long-term goal of establishing a caliphate. While their headquarters are in Lebanon, the group operates in at least 32 countries, including Bangladesh, the UK, the United States, Canada and Australia.