Twelve IS supporters preparing terrorist attack detained in Moscow on Sunday — FSB

NALCHIK, October 13. /TASS/. A total of 12 supporters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist zation, including "a certain Mr Baisultanov who arrived from Syria" have been detained in Moscow on suspicion of involvement in the preparation of a terrorist act, head of the National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC), Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov said at a NAC visiting session in Nalchik on Tuesday.

According to him, Russia’s security forces have prevented 20 terrorist crimes this year. "The latest such example was the detention in Moscow on October 11 of 12 Russian citizens - members and supporters of the international terrorist organization (Islamic State) who were preparing a terrorist attack on public transport using a homemade explosive device. Among those detained was a certain Mr Baisultanov who arrived from Syria to organize the crime," the NAC chief said.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted over this fact, the investigation is underway, he said.

More than 800 persons involved in activities of terrorist group in Syria identified in CIS countries

According to the official, security forces have tracked down 832 persons involved in the activities of an international terrorist organization in Syria, including 22 recruiters, in Russia and the CIS countries.

He also noted that more than 4,000 individuals suspected of involvement in financing an international terrorist organization had been identified and were checked in 77 Russia’s territorial entities and 6 countries.

About 5,000 people convicted in Russian for terrorism-related crimes in past 10 years

The security official said some 5,500 people have been sentenced for committing terrorism-related crimes in Russia in the past ten years.

"We have managed to solve the task of minimizing terrorist threat in Russia" in the past ten years after the terrorist attack in Nalchik in October 2005, he said at a meeting of the National Anti-terrorist Committee.

"Constant work is being done to expose and exterminate bandit groups, investigation is underway on previous terrorist attacks and people involved in them are being searched for," he said.

"Since 2006, as many as 5,475 people have been convicted for terrorism-related crimes. As many as 2,143 gunmen have been neutralized. A total of 1,504 gunmen are on the federal and international wanted lists," Bortnikov said.

"The state in the person of its law enforcement block has been implementing the principle of inevitability of punishment for committed crimes, despite their periods of limitation. Since January 2010, a total of 3,796 persons have been detained for involvement in high-profile terrorism-related crimes. The latest example proving out commitment to this principle is the detention of Daudov who has been wanted for involvement in the terrorist attack in Budennovsk in 1995," he underscored.

More than 4,000 people checked for involvement in terrorism financing

The official said that over 4,000 people in Russia and a number of other states are being checked for involvement in terrorism financing.

"In cooperation with the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (FFMS) and the Russian Interior Ministry we are monitoring the activities of the so-called ‘financial centres’ that collect donations for the ITO [international terrorist organisations]. More than 4,000 individuals suspected of involvement in the financing of ITO have been identified and are being checked in 77 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and in six countries," Bortnikov said.

According to him, as a result of special investigation activities conducted by the Russian intelligence services in cooperation with partners from the countries of the West, the Middle East, China and other countries to identify terrorists in migration and tourist flows, a total of 832 individuals involved in the activity of terrorist organisations have been brought to criminal responsibility in Russia.

"In the course of this work, 832 persons involved in the activities of international terrorist organisations in Syria, including 22 recruiters have been arraigned on criminal charges," Bortnikov said.

The FSB chief told the NAC meeting participants that about 5,500 people have been convicted of committing terrorist crimes since 2006. "From 2006 to the present day, a total of 5,475 persons have been convicted within the frame work of the investigation of criminal cases over terrorist activities. As many as 2,134 bandits have been neutralised as a result of clandestine military operations. And 1,504 militants are on the federal and international wanted lists," Bortnikov said.