The Bangladeshi army claimed it had thwarted a coup against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government yesterday . . . army officials blamed a “heinous conspiracy” on mid-level and retired officers “with extreme religious views” . . . an army official also noted that several officers had admitted to ties to the “explicitly non-violent” Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was banned by the Bangladeshi government in 2009 for "unleashing destructive activities" and trying to destabilize the country . . . the Bangladeshi Supreme Court reinstated a ban on Islamic political parties in 2010 . . . Bangladesh has seen three major army coups and around 24 minor rebellions since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 . . . Hasina’s Awami League, which has ruled since 2008, is a secular, center-left party . . . her administration has focused its efforts on fighting terrorism and raising the standard of living . . . a coup by radical Islamists in the army would be surprising since much of the military is secular . . . the failed coup does highlight the tensions between the secular government and the extremely poor, majority Muslim population . . . even if Islamist groups are not involved, the failed coup will likely give the government an excuse to enact additional legislation against Islamist political opponents.