BD ousted-party protesters arrested with Trump signs

DHAKA: Supporters of Bangladesh´s ousted ex-leader were arrested after following her orders to protest bearing placards of Donald Trump, police said on Sunday, accusing them of trying to undermine relations with Washington.

The 10 protesters, called “conspirators” by the police, were arrested on Saturday night and accused of attempting to destabilise the South Asian country of some 170 million people.

“We are assessing their crimes in order to file charges,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Muhammad Talebur Rahman said.

The tiny protest came ahead of a threatened rally by Hasina´s Awami League on Sunday, a gathering barred by the interim government who calls the group “fascist”.

Students have called for a counter-protest in the same central Dhaka site.

Dozens of Hasina´s allies were arrested after her regime collapsed -- accused of culpability in a police crackdown that killed more than 700 people during the unrest that deposed her -- while other party loyalists went into hiding.

Police said that an audio recording of Hasina circulating on social media had urged her supporters to protest on Sunday, and to carry placards with Trump´s photo and US flags.

“She asked them to use the placards as shields and to take photos and video footage if there were any attacks,” police said in a statement.