<p>Bangladesh's elite counter-terrorist force has arrested five members of the banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir in connection with a botched coup attempt by some serving and retired army officers.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five members of Hizb ut-Tahrir from the city yesterday, a day after the army said it had foiled a coup allegedly plotted by Maj Syed Mohammad Ziaul Huq, said to have links with the banned Islamist outfit.<br /><br />A RAB detective was injured during the arrests, bdnews24.com quoted Maj Ahsan of RAB–1 as saying. The army had said the conspiracy was unearthed last month and two retired officers - Lt Col Ehsan Yousuf and Major Zakir - had been arrested while Major Huq, a co-planner was absconding.<br /><br />In a related development, police in Patuakhali yesterday raided the house of Huq. Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge Monirul Islam said Maj Huq could not be found there. "Only the mother-in-law of Maj Huq was there. She told us Huq's wife was in Dhaka," he said.<br /><br />The Army on Thursday said Maj Huq's links with Hizb ut-Tahrir are proved. The army spokesman had said Maj Huq was an effort to implement his anti-state conspiracies sent e-mails to different serving officers to execute his operation plans on January 9 and 10.<br /><br />Bangladesh has a long history of coups and counter coups. The country was under direct or pseudo military rules for over a decade, since August 15, 1975, when the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members.<br /><br />The present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which came to power in early 2009, has faced repeated threats from hardline groups.</p>
<p>Bangladesh's elite counter-terrorist force has arrested five members of the banned Islamist outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir in connection with a botched coup attempt by some serving and retired army officers.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five members of Hizb ut-Tahrir from the city yesterday, a day after the army said it had foiled a coup allegedly plotted by Maj Syed Mohammad Ziaul Huq, said to have links with the banned Islamist outfit.<br /><br />A RAB detective was injured during the arrests, bdnews24.com quoted Maj Ahsan of RAB–1 as saying. The army had said the conspiracy was unearthed last month and two retired officers - Lt Col Ehsan Yousuf and Major Zakir - had been arrested while Major Huq, a co-planner was absconding.<br /><br />In a related development, police in Patuakhali yesterday raided the house of Huq. Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge Monirul Islam said Maj Huq could not be found there. "Only the mother-in-law of Maj Huq was there. She told us Huq's wife was in Dhaka," he said.<br /><br />The Army on Thursday said Maj Huq's links with Hizb ut-Tahrir are proved. The army spokesman had said Maj Huq was an effort to implement his anti-state conspiracies sent e-mails to different serving officers to execute his operation plans on January 9 and 10.<br /><br />Bangladesh has a long history of coups and counter coups. The country was under direct or pseudo military rules for over a decade, since August 15, 1975, when the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members.<br /><br />The present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which came to power in early 2009, has faced repeated threats from hardline groups.</p>
