Russia’s Federal Security Service says it has detained 19 members of a terrorist group that was allegedly planning attacks in the North Caucasus.
The FSB said in a statement on February 17 that the roundup of suspects began on February 1 in the regions of Rostov, Krasnodar, Karachai-Cherkessia, and the Russian-controlled Ukrainian Black Sea region of Crimea.
The suspects are allegedly members of an extremist group known as At-Takfir wal-Hijra.
According to the FSB, its officers found weapons, ammunition, handmade explosives, and extremist literature in the detained suspects’ possession.
At-Takfir wal-Hijra was labeled as extremist and banned in Russia in September 2010.