DHAKA, March 31: At least 22 Islamists were arrested in overnight raids as Bangladesh strengthened security nationwide on Saturday after authorities hanged six top Muslim militants, police said.

The 22 Islamists, all alleged activists of the group Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh, were arrested as they watched anti-US footage of the Iraq war at a house in the capital Dhaka, city police chief Nayeem Ahmed said.

“We have arrested them on suspected extremist links. We found videos showing the US war in Iraq, leaflets and other suspicious extremist materials. They also broke the government’s emergency laws on political gatherings,” he said.

Hizbut Tahrir, which aims to establish a global Islamic empire through peaceful political means, is banned in many countries but not in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.—AFP