Two journalists working for the British Channel 4 television network have been arrested by Bangladeshi security authorities as they attempted to cross into India at the western Benapole border checkpoint.
The Bangladeshi authorities say that the two journalists, Zaiba Malik and Leopondo Bruno Sorentino, had spent two weeks filming footage for a report on Islamic extremist groups.
But a spokesman for Channel 4 has denied this, saying that the journalists were in fact filming a general report on the political situation in Bangladesh.
However, the police in Benapole said the journalists told a joint team of police and military intelligence officers they were teachers and were travelling on tourist visas.
Police said they found what was described as a huge quantity of video film and anti- government material among the journalists' possessions.
Reports say the journalists will be taken to Dhaka to face charges.
(From the newsroom of the BBC World
Service)