Hizb ut-Tahrir operative arrested in Bangladesh

Bangladesh police have arrested a 30-year-old operative of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir militant organization for alleged terrorism-related offences, according to a media report on Friday.

An Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) picked up HM Mehedi Rana from the Jamtoli area of Cox's Bazar on Wednesday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act has been filed against Rana at the Ukhiya Police Station, it said.

Rana was staying in a house in Patuakhali in Cox Bazar, which is owned by one Abu Taher, a non-permanent resident in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to the newspaper, ATU Assistant Superintendent of Police Wahida Parvin said Mehedi was spreading the outfit's message through the internet.

"Evidence of his involvement in the outfit's online conferences and campaigns has also been found," Parvin told the newspaper.

Mehedi had completed a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and was also working at BRAC, an international development organization registered under the NGO bureau of Bangladesh.

Hizb ut-Tahrir translates to 'party of liberation' in Arabic. It is an international organization whose stated aim is to re-establish the Islamic caliphate and implement the sharia law globally.

Hizb ut-Tahrir started operations in Bangladesh in 2000 and was banned in 2009 for militant activities.