Banned group's offices raided

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Bangladesh authorities cracked down on the banned Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, raiding its offices and freezing its bank accounts, officials said.

Bangladesh's Daily Star reported police raided the offices of the banned group Sunday in Dhaka and Sylhet and seized several computers, several hundred CDs, a large number of books, leaflets, posters and other materials.

Also on Sunday, Bangladesh Bank, the country's central bank, ordered all financial institutions to freeze the group's accounts under anti-terrorism laws.

In other actions, Dhaka University authorities placed on indefinite leave Mohiuddin Ahmed, associate business administration professor accused of being the chief coordinator of the banned group.

The Hizb-ut-Tahrir, or Party of Emancipation, was officially banned Thursday as it was seen as a threat to public security. The group, banned in several other countries, seeks to establish a global Islamic Caliphate.

The Star report said the group, founded in Jerusalem in 1953, had been active in Bangladesh since 2000.