FSB reports detention of 12 members of extremist organization in KChR

The 12 residents of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR), detained on June 21 in the course of a special operation, are supporters of the "At-Takfir wal-Hijra", an extremist organization banned in Russia, the Russian FSB (Federal Security Bureau) has reported.

According to law enforcers, members of the organization spread the ideas of radical Islam, attempted to remove official of municipal governments from their posts, and intended to "create a state with the Sharia form of ruling in the territory of Northern Caucasus."

The "At-Takfir wal-Hijra" is an international grouping of religious radicals, created in 1971 in Egypt; in 1977, it was banned in Egypt by the authorities, after which its supporters began to be active in other countries. On September 15, 2010, the Supreme Court of Russia found this organization as extremist and banned its activities in Russia.

One of those suspected of being involved in extremist activity was detained in Moscow, all the rest in the territory of the KChR, the Russian FSB reported on its website on June 21.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 21, 2019 at 10:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.