AKIPRESS.COM - A court in Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for the opposition leader Khaleda Zia over an arson attack on a bus that killed two people and injured dozens last year, according to The Guardian.

Zia and 27 leaders and officials of her Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) have been accused of instigating the firebombing in Dhaka as part of a deadly campaign against the government.

“She is the main accused in the case,” said Shah Alam Talukdar, prosecuting. “The court issued the warrant of arrest against her and 27 other senior officials and activists.”

A BNP spokesman dismissed the charge as “laughable”. “This is politically motivated and is part of deep conspiracy against her,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said.

The attack took place during a nationwide blockade of roads, rail and waterways, which Zia called to try to force the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to resign and pave the way for new elections.

The protest triggered a wave of violence that left more than 120 people dead, as opposition activists firebombed hundreds of buses and trucks and police responded by firing live rounds.

About 15,000 opposition supporters and dozens of senior BNP officials have been arrested in a crackdown by Hasina.

A judge in the Dhaka court issued the warrant against Zia on Wednesday after accepting a police charge sheet over the attack on 10 January 2015.

Police said up to 200 BNP activists and supporters protested oustide the party headquarters in Dhaka as news of the warrant emerged. “Protesters shouted slogans and staged an impromptu demonstration. But they moved back to the party office before police reached the spot,” said Saifur Rahman, assistant commissioner of Dhaka metropolitan police.

The BNP’s second-in-command, Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, was arrested on Wednesday on separate charges related to the 2015 attack. He was later granted bail on health grounds.