Chief of banned organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa Hafiz Saeed – File Photo

LAHORE: A prominent hard-line group with suspected militant ties has rallied several thousand people in the Pakistani city of Lahore in support of Osama bin Laden and against the US.

Police said at least 4,000 people attended the Sunday demonstration. Protesters chanted ''Down with America'' and carried a banner that said ''America is the worst enemy of humanity!''

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, called bin Laden a martyr and demanded the Pakistani government break ties with the US following its raid May 2 that killed the al-Qaida chief.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa is believed to be a front for the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, suspected of carrying out a series of attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people.