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Russian Security Arrests Members of Banned ‘Hizb al-Tahrir’ | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Russia’s Federal Security Service arrests members of banned “Hizb al-Tahrir” group in Moscow and Penza. (AFP)


Moscow – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) succeeded in coordination with Interior Ministry forces in halting the activity of terrorist groups affiliated with the “Hizb al-Tahrir” organization.

The FSB said in a statement that three members of the organization were arrested, including one of its leaders.

The security operations were carried out in the Moscow and Penza districts. “Hizb al-Tahrir al-Islami” has been designated as a terrorist group and was banned in Russia in 2013.

FSB continued that extremist religious propaganda and literature and electronic data and carriers were found during the raids. They will be used as evidence to prove the group’s illegal activity, it added.

Earlier in March, security forces in Tataristan had arrested 15 members of “Hizb al-Tahrir”.

Meanwhile, Dagestan Interior Minister Abdulrashid Magomedov announced that 1,200 Dagestanis were fighting alongside various terrorist groups outside of Russia, adding that security forces had in 2016 thwarted the travel of 38 nationals to Syria.

A sleeper cell whose members were operating from three Dagestani cities was uncovered and security forces in 2016 had carried out more than 30 counter-terrorism operations.

Four terror gangs were eliminated and 17 leaders of these groups were killed in these operations, said Magomedov.

The police and security forces succeeded in wiping out gunmen and their collaborators from the southern regions of Dagestan, he added.