“They advocated the creation of a caliphate”: extremists from At-Takfir val-Khidzhra were detained in Karachay-Cherkessia

Employees of the Federal Security Service detained five members of the At-Takfir Val-Khidzhra extremist religious association in the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic *. This was reported by the FSB Public Relations Center.

45 copies of pseudo-religious extremist literature, as well as 10 manuscripts with lecture notes of radical preachers, were found and seized at their residence addresses, as well as in places of conspiracy gatherings. In addition, representatives of the special services seized a traumatic pistol converted for firing live ammunition, ammunition for it, a shotgun of a hunting rifle, air gun and cold steel.

The Takfirits actively propagated radical ideology and recruited new supporters for religious extremist activity. They called on believers to reject secular laws and civil society institutions, and also advocated the creation of a theocratic Islamic state, the Caliphate, in the North Caucasus, the report said.

The FSB opened a criminal case under part 1 and part 2 of article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of Russia (organization of activities of an extremist organization or participation in it). It is noted that detainees give confession statements.

Earlier in April, FSB officers detained in Dagestan a supporter of a member of the religious extremist organization At-Takfir Val-Hijra. The attacker, in particular, called for the rejection of secular laws and civil society institutions in order to create a state with a radical form of religious government.

In June 2019, the FSB of Russia conducted a special operation in Karachay-Cherkessia and Moscow, detaining 12 members of the At-Takfir Val-Khidzhra cell. In addition, in February 2020, three extremists of this banned organization were detained in Kazan.

Terrorist Detention

Earlier this week, June 30, the FSB detained a supporter of the Islamic State ** terrorist group in Vladikavkaz, planning to carry out a terrorist attack. Intelligence officers found components for making an explosive device in a man’s equipped cache.

A criminal case was instituted on the fact of what happened under Part 2 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code ("Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization").

In addition, the FSB published a video of the detention of a man. Also on the record are the wires and a plastic bottle filled with nails that were seized from the detainee. 

On June 10, FSB officers prevented a terrorist attack in one of the markets of Simferopol. Five suspects, citizens of Russia, were detained, they were "in ties with representatives of radical Ukrainian forces fighting in southeast Ukraine."

Attackers also "propagated the ideology of terrorism and extremism on the Internet." Homemade explosive devices, ammunition, small arms, cold steel, and communications equipment containing information about the crimes being prepared were seized from them.

In addition, at the beginning of June in Chuvashia during operational-search activities, FSB officers found a cache of homemade bombs. After the cache was discovered, explosive devices were neutralized, experts seized items of importance to the investigation, and also questioned witnesses. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the article “Preparation for the commission of a terrorist act”.

At the end of May, security forces neutralized six militants in the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan who were planning to carry out terrorist attacks. When trying to detain the criminals put up armed resistance, after which law enforcement officers eliminated them. According to the NAC, the militants were associated with the Islamic State.

At the same time, the Director of the FSB, the chairman of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, Alexander Bortnikov, during a working meeting with President Vladimir Putin, spoke about the number of terrorist attacks that have been averted in Russia over the past 10 years.

“Over the past 10 years, 698 terrorist crimes were prevented, of which 159 were directly terrorist acts,” Bortnikov said on June 16.

* At-Takfir Val-Hijra - in 2010, the Supreme Court of Russia recognized an extremist association whose activities in Russia were prohibited.

** “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.