Seven Islamist militants, including four Pakistani nationals, have been arrested in Bangladesh for allegedly planning violent acts in the Muslim-majority country grappling with a series of murders claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
The seven members of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were arrested last night in the capital, bdnews quoted police as saying.
Several Jihadi books, CDs, seven Pakistani and Bangladeshi passports, seven mobile phones and about Rs 27,000 were seized from them, it said.
"They have admitted to have met to revive the JMB and plot sabotage in Bangladesh," Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Monirul Islam told reporters.
Islam said the arrested militants were involved in forging currencies and funding religious extremism.
He said several groups of banned militant outfit JMB, loyal to its chief Saidur Rahman, were waging what they describe as 'Jihad' or holy war.
About the Pakistani passports, Islam said they were valid.
"But their frequent visits are mysterious," he said.
Bangladesh has in the past three months witnessed murders of an Italian aid worker, a Japanese farmer, the attack on a Shiite rally, killing of two policemen and assassination of a progressive book publisher.
According to US-based SITE Jihadist monitoring group, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibilities for most of the murders.
However, Bangladesh authorities have repeatedly rejected IS existence in the country and attributed the assaults carried out in the name of ISIS to a section of the ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia's BNP and its crucial ally -- fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.
