Bangladesh security forces detained the chief of the outlawed militant group Harkatul Jihad Islami (HUJI) on Thursday for involvement in several major militant attacks. Maulana Mohammad Yahia, one of the country's most wanted militants, was arrested with his two aides in central Kishoreganj district, Walid Hossain, a director of the elite force Rapid Action Battalion told reporters.
He gave no further details of the raid. Yahia, who fought in Afghanistan, is charged with masterminding several attacks including a deadly bomb blast during New Year celebrations in the capital Dhaka in 2001, Hossain said. The HUJI is also charged with staging an August 2004 attack on a rally by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was then the leader of the opposition. Twenty-three people were killed and over 150 were wounded in the assault, and Hasina suffered partial hearing loss.