AFP-JIJI

A Bangladesh court sentenced Thursday the leader of the country's largest Islamist party and 13 others to death over a huge 2004 arms smuggling racket, sparking fears of new political unrest.

Matiur Rahman Nizami, 70, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was convicted and sentenced over the racket involving 10 truckloads of arms seized by police a decade ago at a Bangladesh port.