Militant suspects arrested in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Eight suspected Islamist militants have been arrested in Bangladesh and security forces have seized a large cache of explosives, an official says.

Gaibandha police chief S.M. Moniruzzaman said the explosives seized this week may have been tabbed for a terror attack before the country's landmark parliamentary election next week, the Press Trust of India said Friday.

The eight suspects were arrested in Pashchim Komornoi village, while the explosives were found in the villages of Chakshibpur and Parkachua.

Moniruzzaman said authorities have yet to find a link between the suspected Jamaatul Mujaheddin Bangladesh militants the explosives.

JMB militants have been blamed for several 2005 bombings that resulted in the deaths of at least 28 people. Several of the militant organization's leaders were executed in Bangladesh in March 2007 after being arrested.

Police suspect the organization has since been attempting to reorganize itself in the wake of the executions, the Press Trust reported.