Jhenaidah, Nov 21 (bdnews24.com) – Police arrested 14 members of the blacklisted extremist group Allahr Dal, suspected of having links to outlawed terrorist outfit JMB, in Jhenaidah on Saturday.

The men were arrested at a private residence in the Kanchanpur area of the district town, Jhenaidah police superintendent Rezaul Karim told bdnews24.com.

Police seized nine mobile phone sets and religious books, including a Quran and a Bible, from the scene of the arrest, said Karim.

"The operatives were holding a clandestine meeting there," said Karim.

Quoting locals, he said the house was being used as a centre for "organisational activities" for at least two years.

Police also said they believed the 14 arrested men had direct links to banned terrorist group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Allahr Dal's founder Matin Mehdi was among 20 terrorists given the death sentence in connection with the countrywide serial bombings of 2005.

Authorities say Mehdi was also a key operative of JMB, which masterminded the bombings and was banned in 2005.

Allahr Dal is on a government black list, meaning its members are under close watch by authorities, though not banned outright.

Hizb ut Tahrir was the most recent extremist/militant group to be banned in Bangladesh, in October this year. It is the fifth such organisation to be banned in the country, according to the home ministry.

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