Bangladesh ex-minister arrested for Hajj criticism

Former Bangladesh minister Abdul Latif Siddique has been arrested over remarks criticising the annual Hajj pilgrimage made by Muslims to Mecca.

According to the BBC, Abdul Latif Siddique was denied bail and sent to jail on charges of insulting Islam.

Siddique was sacked as the telecommunication minister after he told a gathering in New York in September that he was "dead against the Hajj".

His comments were met with protests from infuriated hard line Islamist parties, who demanded his immediate arrest.

Siddique was arrested after he surrendered to the police.