Bangladesh arrests professor over US embassy protest

DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh police said on Wednesday they had arrested a university professor on suspicion that he planned to lead an attack on the United States (US) embassy during a protest against a film which ridicules Islam.

Syed Golam Maola was detained on late Monday after counter-terrorism officers questioned an activist from a banned militant group who had taken part in the protest in Dhaka earlier in the day.

"We arrested a young Hizb ut-Tahrir protester from the demonstration. Later we arrested Maola based on the preliminary information we got from him," Dhaka police spokesman Masudur Rahman told AFP.

Maola, described by police as a senior official of the banned group's Bangladesh chapter, has been remanded in custody for five days by a court for questioning on suspicion that "he planned to attack the US embassy", Mr Rahman added.