Bangladesh deports Sudanese charity chief

Bangladeshi authorities have deported a Sudanese national because police believe he was using an Islamic charity as a cover to train militants, an intelligence officer said Friday. Sudanese national Abbas Bao, who heads the local branch of Kuwait-based charity Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), was ordered to leave Bangladesh on April 6.
"He was married to a Bangladeshi woman and he had applied for citizenship here but that application was rejected," an intelligence officer, who asked not to be named, told AFP. The English-language Daily Star newspaper said Bao had been in Bangladesh since 1996. "We believe RIHS has been giving money to various militant groups in Bangladesh. We cancelled the registration of RIHS in the middle of 2007," the officer added. Last month authorities in Bangladesh said they were investigating dozens of Muslim charities over allegations they were funding militants.