Three hundred worshipers of praying house in Moscow detained in special operation

As reported by a source from the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) of Moscow, a special operation held by law enforcers in the Muslim house of worship, located in Ugreshskaya Street in Moscow, resulted in detention of more than 300 believers.

The special operation took place on June 7, when, according to eyewitnesses, "law enforcers rushed into the house of worship," located in the Pechatniki township, where a large number of believers had traditionally came for their Friday sermon.

"By shouting 'All down on the floor!' and 'Put your hands behind your heads!', pointing their submachine guns at us, the forced us to obey," one of the parishioners, who asked not to be named, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, the house of worship is mainly attended by natives of Azerbaijan and republics of Northern Caucasus.

Alexei Shapkin, the officer on duty at the press service of the above GUVD, has reported that the detainees were exposed to preventive conversations and protocols about the violations of the rules of stay in the territory of the Russian Federation and living in the country without identity documents.

In the absence in Moscow of the sufficient religious infrastructure, Muslims have to set up prayer rooms and houses for administering their Friday worship, a source from the Fund "Unity", which had organized this house of worship, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The Fund holds views of moderate Islam; and community members have never been involved in any illegal activities. Such special operations only drive people into isolationism, since their purpose is to scare the believers," the source of the Fund has concluded.

So far, the "Caucasian Knot" has no comments on the incident of the Russian Federal Migration Service.