US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has designated a Bangladeshi Islamist group as a terrorist organization subject to US financial penalties.
A statement issuedThursday by the US Embassy in Dhaka says the group, Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami, or HUJI, has taken part in several terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and abroad.
Bangladesh's government has banned HUJI and several other Islamist groups for waging a violent campaign to introduce strict Islamic laws in the country.
Washington's designation of HUJI as a terrorist organization bans U.S. citizens or residents from providing material support to the group. It also requires US financial institutions to freeze HUJI assets and bars visits to the US by the group's members.
The US statement says Bangladesh has taken effective action to bring suspected HUJI terrorists to justice and prevent fruther attacks.
Bangladeshi authorities said they arrested a HUJI member last month suspected of involvement in a grenade attack that killed more than 20 people in August 2004.
The attack targeted a political rally held by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who survived the blast but lost part of her hearing.
Indian authorities also have arrested suspected HUJI members in recent years in connection with bomb attacks in several Indian cities.
More on this from our Dhaka Stringer Amir Khasru