MOSCOW, November 16 (Itar-Tass) — Nine citizens of Russia and Tajikistan are accused of forming the terrorist organization Hizb ul-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), the press service of the territorial police department told Itar-Tass on Friday.
They are also charged with storing explosives, weapons, ammunition and explosive devices. “Five defendants are direct ringleaders of Russian and Moscow groups of the terrorist organization,” the press service reported.
The accusations were brought on the strength of the criminal materials of the main police department in the Central Federal District, the Federal Security Service department in Moscow and the Moscow Region and the main anti-extremism department in the Russian Interior Ministry.
“In November the operatives detained 18 suspects in active participation in this organization as a result of search and investigative measures against members of the international terrorist organization Hizb ul-Tahrir,” the press service said. “At the residence place of the detainees the policemen and agents of the security services found and confiscated ten combat grenades, two sawn-off smooth-bore rifles and six TNT charges. Meanwhile, the blanks for false US dollar banknotes to the tune of one million dollars and blanks for false two million euros, as well as the literature of the international terrorist organization and electronic mediums with the agitation and propagandistic materials were presumably confiscated in the search,” the press service said.
“The confiscated arsenal of the terrorist organization was being kept at the rented flats in Moscow, including those situated not far from federal transport sites,” the press service reported.
“Meanwhile, during a large-scale operation over 100 foreign citizens were staying at 23 searched flats. Most of them were brought to administrative responsibility for violation of the Russian migration legislation,” the press service said.