bangladeshi police seized huge caches of bomb-making materials and arrested five suspected members of a banned group that has been blamed for a series of deadly bombings this year, police said saturday. the bomb materials, including large quantities of a gel explosive and about 2,000 detonators, were seized late friday after raids on two houses in rajshahi district, 233 kilometers (145 miles) northwest of national capital, dhaka, a police news release said. rajshahi police arrested four suspected militants, including one believed to be a high-ranking leader of the banned jumatul mujahideen bangladesh group, the release said. the detainees were being interrogated. another suspected militant was arrested saturday in satkhira, 177 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of dhaka, a separate police statement said, without elaborating. jumatul mujahideen bangladesh wants to establish strict islamic rule in this muslim-majority country of about 140 million people, which is governed by secular laws, according to a report of the associated press. --spa
